IC-NRLF 


3M3 


/   LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
CAL/FORN/A 


DOWN  THE  RHINE; 


OR, 


YOUNG  AMERICA   IN   GERMANY. 


A  STORY  OF  TRAVEL  AND  ADVENTURE. 

BY 

OLIVER    OPTIC. 


BOSTON: 

LEE    AND     SHEPARD. 
1870. 


Entered  according  to  Aet  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1869,  by 

WILLIAM   T.  ADAMS, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


ILKCTEOTTPED    AT    THE 

Sotton    Stereotype    Foundry, 
No.  19  Spring  Lane. 


- 


TO  MY  YOUNG  FRIEND 


RALPH    OAKLE  T, 


IS  AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED. 


741 


YOUNG  AMERICA  ABROAD. 

BY  OLIVER  OPTIC. 

A  Library  of  Travel  and  Adventure  in  Foreign  Lands.  First 
and  Second  Series;  six  volumes  in  each  Series.  i6mo. 
Illustrated. 

First  Series. 
I.  OUTWARD  BOUND ;  OR,  YOUNG  AMERICA  AFLOAT. 

II.  SHAMROCK  AND  THISTLE;  OR,  YOUNG  AMERICA 
IN  IRELAND  AND  SCOTLAND. 

III.  RED  CROSS ;  OR,  YOUNG  AMERICA  IN  ENGLAND  AND 

WALES. 

IV.  DIKES  AND  DITCHES',    OR,  YOUNG  AMERICA  IN 

HOLLAND  AND  BELGIUM. 

V.  gALACE  AND  COTTAGE;   OR,    YOUNG  AMERICA 
IN  FRANCE  AND  SWITZERLAND. 

VI.  DOWN   THE  RHINE;    OR,    YOUNG   AMERICA    IN 
GERMANY. 

Second  Series. 

I.  UP  THE  BALTIC;  OR,  YOUNG  AMERICA  IN  DEN 
MARK  AND  SWEDEN. 

II.  NORTHERN  LANDS;    OR,    YOUNG    AMERICA    IN 
PRUSSIA  AND  RUSSIA. 

III.  VINE  AND  OLIVE ;  OR,  YOUNG  AMERICA  IN  SPAIN 

AND  PORTUGAL. 

IV.  SUNNT  SHORES;  OR,  YOUNG  AMERICA  IN  ITALY 

AND  AUSTRIA. 

V.  CROSS  AND   CRESCENT;   OR,  YOUNG  AMERICA 
IN  GREECE  AND  TURKEY. 

VI.  ISLES  OF  THE  SEA ;  OR,  YOUNG  AMERICA  HOME 
WARD  BOUND. 


PREFACE. 


DOWN  THE  RHINE,  the  sixth  and  last  volume  of  the  first 
series  of  "  YOUNG  AMERICA  ABROAD,"  is  the  conclusion  of 
the  history  of  the  Academy  Squadron  on  its  first  voyage  to 
Europe,  with  the  excursion  of  the  students  and  their  friends 
into  Germany,  and  down  its  most  beautiful  river.  As  in  the 
preceding  volumes  of  the  series,  brief  geographical  descrip 
tions  of  the  country  visited  are  given,  with  a  sketch  of  its 
history,  and  of  whatever  may  be  peculiar  or  interesting  in 
its  manners  and  customs.  The  travellers  enter  Germany  by 
the  way  of  Strasburg,  and  visit  Freiburg,  Schaifhausen, 
Constance,  Friedrichshafen,  Ulm,  Stuttgart,  Carlsruhe, 
Darmstadt,  Baden-Baden,  Heidelberg,  Frankfurt,  Mayence, 
Bingen,  Bonn,  Coblenz,  Cologne,  Dusseldorf,  and  Aix-la- 
Chapelle;  but  only  the  most  interesting  features  of  these 
places  are  noticed. 

The  story  part  of  the  volume  relates  mostly  to  a  trip  of 
the  squadron  from  Havre  to  Brest,  and  the  cruise  of  the 
Josephine  up  the  Mediterranean,  in  which  the  writer  has 
endeavored  to  show  that  even  injustice  is  not  to  be  redressed 
by  resorting  to  evil  deeds;  and  he  is  quite  sure  that  the 
sympathies  of  his  readers  will  always  be  with  the  members 
of  the  "  Order  of  the  Faithful." 


6  PREFACE. 

As  the  author  has  before  had  occasion  gratefully  to  ac 
knowledge,  the  success  of  this  series  has  far  exceeded  his 
anticipations ;  and  in  bringing  the  first  series  to  a  close,  he 
again  returns  his  thanks  to  his  friends,  young  and  old,  who 
have  so  often  and  so  earnestly  encouraged  him  in  his  agree 
able  labors, — all  the  more  agreeable  because  they  are  so 
generously  appreciated.  He  intends,  during  the  coming 
year,  to  make  another  trip  to  Europe,  for  the  purpose  of 
visiting  all  the  countries  mentioned  in  the  titles  of  the 
second  series;  for  he  is  not  inclined  to  write  about  any 
country  until  he  has  seen  it.  If  no  unforeseen  event  inter 
venes  to  defeat  his  plans,  the  remaining  volumes  of  YOUNG 
AMERICA  ABROAD  will  soon  follow. 

HARBISON  SQUARE,  MASS., 

October  28, 1869, 


CONTENTS. 


CHJLPTEB  PA.QB 

I.    CONFUSION  IN  THE  SHIP n 

II.    CLOSE  QUARTERS 27 

III.  A  GATHERING  STORM.  .       .       .      42 

IV.  THE  YOUNG  AMERICA  MUTINY.         •       •       •     57 
V.  THE  ORDER  OF  THE  FAITHFUL.                       .     73 

VI.    IN  THE  STEERAGE 89 

VII.    THE  VISIT  TO  THE  HOLD 106 

VIII.  SHORT  OF  WATER.       .       .       .       .       .       .123 

IX.  THE  LAST  OF  THE  MUTINEERS.         ...    140 

X.  WHAT  THE  RUNAWAYS  WERE  GOING  TO  DO.    .    158 

XI.  A  SHORT  LECTURE  ON  GERMANY.     .       .       .174 

XII.    A  MYSTERIOUS  MOVEMENT 191 

XIII.  FROM  STRASBURG  TO  CONSTANCE.    ...    207 

XIV.  THE  STORM  ON  LAKE  CONSTANCE.   .       .       .    224 
XV.  LADY  FEODORA  AND  SIR  WILLIAM.  .-      .       .241 

(7) 


8  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTEB 

XVI.    UP  THE  MEDITERRANEAN 260 

XVII.    HEIDELBERG  AND  HOMBURG 279 

XVIII.  CASTLES,  VINEYARDS,  AND  MOUNTAINS.         .  296 

XIX.  COBLENZ  AND   COLOGNE.  .....  309 

XX.    HOMEWARD  BOUND 332 


DOWN   THE  RHINE. 


DOWN  THE  RHINE; 


OR, 


YOUNG  AMERICA  IN  GERMANY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

CONFUSION   IN  THE   SHIP. 

LL  hands  pipe  to  muster,  ahoy ! "  screamed  the 
new  boatswain  of  the  Young  America,  as  he 
walked  towards  the  forecastle  of  the  ship,  occasional 
ly  sounding  a  shrill  blast  upon  his  whistle. 

At  the  same  time  the  corresponding  officer  in  the 
Josephine  performed  a  similar  service  ;  and  in  a  mo 
ment  every  officer  and  seaman  in  both  vessels  had 
taken  his  station.  The  squadron  lay  at  anchor  off  the 
harbor  of  Havre.  The  students  had  returned  the  day 
before  from  a  delightful  tour  through  France  and 
Switzerland  —  all  except  the  thirty-one  who  had  per- 
ferred  to  take  a  cruise  on  their  own  account  in  the 
Josephine ;  and  these  had  been  performing  ship's  duty, 
and  making  up  back  lessons,  while  the  vessel  lay 
at  anchor  in  the  port  of  Brest.  Perhaps  it  was  not 
strictly  true  that  these  malcontents  were  sick  of  the 
game  of  running  away,  but  it  is  strictly  true  that  they 


12  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

were  disgusted  with  the  penalty  which  had  been  im 
posed  upon  them  by  the  authorities  of  the  Academy. 
It  is  to  be  regretted  that  they  were  not  moved  to  peni 
tence  by  their  punishment,  and  that  they  were  ripe  for 
any  new  rebellion  which  promised  to  be  even  a  partial 
success.  They  had  been  deprived  of  seeing  Paris,  — 
which  is  France,  —  and  the  beautiful  scenery  of  Swit 
zerland,  by  their  folly ;  and  they  had  taste  enough  to 
realize  that  they  had  sacrificed  the  best  part  of  a  tour 
in  Europe. 

Those  who  had  participated  in  the  excursion  were 
enthusiastic  in  their  belief  that  they  had  had  a  good 
time  ;  and  the  frequent  discussion  of  the  pleasures  of 
the  trip  did  not  tend  to  diminish  the  discontent  of  the 
runaways.  It  was  absolutely  intolerable  to  think  they 
had  been  compensating  for  past  deficiencies  in  their 
studies,  while  their  shipmates  were  gazing  upon  the 
magnificent  palaces  of  Paris,  the  picturesque  cottages, 
and  the  sublime  mountain  scenery  of  Switzerland. 
Perhaps  their  temper  was  not  improved  by  the  reflec 
tion  that  others  had  been  permitted  to  enjoy  what  they 
were  not  allowed  to  see,  for  envy  is  one  of  the  ugliest 
and  most  uncomfortable  of  human  passions.  Boys, 
like  men  and  women,  fret  because  they  cannot  have 
what  others  possess,  either  as  the  gift  of  partial  For 
tune,  or  as  the  reward  of  their  own  superior  skill  and 
perseverance. 

If  the  runaways  had  not  learned  wisdom  from  their 
failure,  they  had  acquired  discretion.  The  leaders  in 
the  mad  scheme  could  now  see  just  why  and  where 
fore  they  had  failed  ;  and  they  believed  —  if  they  were 
to  have  the  opportunity  to  do  the  deed  over  again  — 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  13 

they  could  make  a  success  of  it.  The  machinery  of 
the  secret  organization  was  now  disgusting  to  them, 
though  it  had  enabled  them  to  make  the  capture  of 
the  vessel.  They  were  -disposed  to  cast  it  all  aside, 
and  resort  to  new  methods  for  future  occasions.  As 
a  general  rule,  they  were  wise  enough  to  keep  still, 
and  only  among  themselves  did  they  express  their 
chagrin  and  disappointment,  or  suggest  that  they  were 
not  entirely  cured  of  their  tendency  to  run  away.  The 
strict  discipline  of  the  squadron  could  not  be  evaded, 
and  they  were  compelled  to  perform  all  their  duties. 

It  was  the  beginning  of  a  new  term  in  the  school. 
New  officers  had  succeeded  the  old  ones,  or  the  posi 
tion  of  the  latter  had  been  materially  changed.  The 
members  of  the  order  of  the  Knights  of  the  Golden 
Fleece  found  themselves  scattered  by  the  new  ar 
rangement.  Not  less  than  a  dozen  of  them  had  been 
transferred  to  the  consort,  while  Tom  Perth,  the  lead 
ing  spirit  of  the  runaways,  had  attained  to  the  dignity  of 
second  master  of  the  ship,  more  by  his  natural  abilities 
than  by  any  efforts  he  had  made  to  win  a  high  place. 
As  yet  he  had  found  no  opportunity  to  arrange  a  plan 
for  further  operations  with  his  confederates,  for  Mr. 
Fluxion,  the  vice-principal,  was  in  the  charge  of  the 
schooner,  and  his  eyes  and  ears  were  always  open. 
The  return  of  the  tourists  from  their  excursion  re 
stored  the  routine  on  board  of  the  vessels. 

Everything  was  changed,  and  at  first  hardly  an  offi 
cer  knew  where  he  belonged,  or  what  his  duty  was. 
Confusion  reigned  on  board  the  ship  and  her  consort, 
while  the  students  were  finding  and  preparing  tljeir 
new  berths.  Happily,  the  changes  were  all  made  be- 


14  DOWN   THE  RHINE,   OR 

fore  dinner  time,  and  everything  settled  down  into  its 
wonted  order  and  regularity.  After  the  midday  meal 
was  served,  all  hands  were  piped  to  muster,  in  order 
that  the  officers  and  seamen  might  be  exercised  in 
their  new  situations.  The  details  of  sea  duty  were 
well  understood  by  all.  Those  alone  who  had  been 
promoted  from  the  steerage  to  the  after  cabin  were  in 
the  dark  in  regard  to  their  duty,  though  in  these  in 
stances  the  parties  had  a  general  idea  of  what  was 
required  of  them.  But  it  was  necessary  to  have  the 
crew  ready  to  work  together,  for  the  seaman  who  had 
hauled  on  the  weather-brace  in  tacking  was  now  an 
officer,  and  the  stations  of  many  were  new  and  strange 
to  them. 

Shuffles  in  the  ship,  and  Terrill  in  the  consort, 
proceeded  to  execute  all  the  manoeuvres  required  in 
handling  the  vessel,  from  getting  under  way  to  com 
ing  to  anchor  again.  Nearly  all  the  officers  and  crew 
were  zealous  to  perform  their  several  parts  correctly ; 
but  there  were  enough  of  the  discontented  ones,  who 
shirked  as  much  as  possible,  to  create  considerable 
confusion.  The  captain  of  the  Young  America  was 
not  satisfied  with  the  manner  in  which  the  various 
evolutions  were  performed  ;  so  he  began  at  the  begin 
ning,  and  went  over  all  the  ground  again,  to  the  great 
disgust  of  the  runaways  in  his  crew,  who  had  been 
doing  this  sort  of  thing  for  four  weeks,  while  the 
others  were  enjoying  the  beauties  of  the  mountain 
scenery. 

"  What's  the  matter,  Captain  Shuffles  ? "  asked 
Commodore  Kendall,  when  the  commander  finished 
the  routine  a  second  time,  and  was  still  dissatisfied 
with  the  result. 


YOUNG  AMERICA  IN  GERMANY.  15 

"It  doesn't  work  well,"  replied  Shuffles,  biting 
his  lip. 

"  A  new  broom  sweeps  clean,  they  say,"  laughed 
the  flag  officer.  "  Perhaps  you  are  more  particular 
than  your  predecessors  were." 

"I  think  not.  The  ship  would  have  miss-stayed 
under  such  handling  as  we  have  to-day,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  clumsy  look  of  it,"  continued  the  new  captain. 
"  I  shouldn't  wish  to  be  out  in  a  gale  with  a  crew  as 
slack  as  ours  is  just  now." 

"  What's  the  trouble?"  asked  the  commodore,  rath 
er  anxiously.  "  I  saw  that  things  did  not  work  well." 

"There  is  trouble  somewhere,  and  I  think  I  can 
see  where  it  is." 

"What  is  it?" 

"  Certain  parties  in  this  ship  don't  like  me  very 
well,  just  now." 

"  You  mean  the  runaways,"  suggested  Paul. 

"  Of  course." 

•  "They  are  making  a  mistake  if  they  are  slack  in 
their  duty,"  added  the  commodore,  rather  indignantly. 
"  They  wish  to  go  with  us  on  our  next  excursion  :  but  I 
don't  think  they  can  win  the  privilege  in  this  manner." 

"  Wilton  and  Howe  are  doing  all  they  can  to  make 
things  go  wrong,"  said  Captain  Shuffles,  who  was 
more  in  sorrow  than  in  anger  at  the  conduct  of  these 
worthies.  "  If  they  are  doing  it  to  spite  me,  they  are 
only  spiting  themselves.  I  am  going  through  these 
mano2uvres  until  they  are  a  little  more  ship-shape,  at 
least." 

The  new  captain  ordered  all  hands  to  take  their  sta 
tions  for  getting  under  way,  and  Commodore  Kendall 


1 6  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

went  aft,  though  he  still  carefully  observed  the  conduct 
of  the  seamen.  The  clumsiness,  and  the  intentional 
blunders  of  certain  of  the  crew  seemed  to  indicate  that 
there  was  a  conspiracy  to  defeat  the  purposes  of  the 
commander.  First,  Howe  tumbled  down  while  the 
hands  were  walking  round  the  capstan ;  Spencer 
stumbled  over  him,  and  a  dozen  boys  were  thrown  in 
a  pile  upon  them.  Then  Richmond  and  Merrick 
dropped  their  handspikes  overboard,  through  an  open 
port,  when  thfe  order  was  given  to  restore  these  arti 
cles  to  their  proper  places. 

Little  snarled  himself  up  in  the  gasket  on  the  fore- 
topsail  yard,  and  dropped  off,  as  though  he  had  fallen, 
though  he  clung  to  the  rope,  and  was  brought  up 
with  a  jerk  ten  or  twelve  feet  below  the  spar.  Some 
of  his  gang,  believing  he  had  really  fallen,  screamed, 
and  the  attention  of  the  whole  crew  was  drawn  off 
from  their  duty.  When  the  fore-topmast  staysail  and 
jib  were  to  be  set,  somebody  had  fouled  the  down- 
hauls,  so  that  they  could  not  be  hoisted.  There  was 
a  kink  in  the  halyards  of  the  main-top  gallant-sail,  so 
that  it  would  not  run  through  the  block.  Clewlines, 
clew-garnets,  leachlines,  and  buntlines  were  in  a 
snarl.  The  zeal  of  those  who  were  striving  to  do 
their  duty  faithfully  seemed  to  make  the  matter  worse, 
and  the  officers  found  it  difficult  to  determine  who 
really  made  the  mischief;  for  the  malcontents  pre 
tended  to  be  as  enthusiastic  as  their  shipmates.  Strong 
expressions  and  hard  words  were  freely  used  by  the 
vexed  seamen,  and  certainly  such  a  scene  of  confusion 
had  never  before  been  observed  on  board  of  the  ship, 
even  when  a  large  proportion  of  the  crew  were  green 
hands. 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  17 

Captain  Shuffles  was  deeply  grieved  by  the  miscon 
duct  of  the  crew  ;  for,  standing  on  the  quarter-deck,  he 
could  not  distinguish  between  the  intentional  and  the 
unintentional  blunders  of  the  crew,  and  therefore  be 
lieved  that  the  disaffection  was  much  more  extensive 
than  was  really  the  case.  The  zealous  efforts  of  one 
portion  of  the  crew  to  rectify  the  mistakes  of  another 
portion  only  increased  the  confusion,  and  some  of 
those  who  were  actually  doing  their  best  appeared  to 
be  the  real  authors  of  the  difficulty.  The  captain  was 
drilling  his  crew  in  simultaneous  movements,  and  it 
was  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  ascertain  exactly 
the  source  of  the  unwonted  confusion. 

While  the  routine  of  evolutions  was  thus  bunglingly 
performed,  the  principal  and  the  professors,  who  had 
been  discussing  an  interesting  question  of  discipline 
in  the  main  cabin,  came  on  deck.  Perhaps  the  fact 
that  Mr.  Lowington  was  not  on  deck  had  encouraged 
the  conspirators  in  creating  the  confusion  which  per 
vaded  the  decks  and  rigging.  As  he  was  the  last  to 
ascend  the  companion-way,  he  paused  on  the  steps, 
with  his  head  on  a  level  with  the  deck,  to  note  the  pre 
cision  of  the  drill.  He  was  not  noticed  by  the  con 
spirators,  and,  unfortunately  for  them,  they  continued 
in  their  career  of  insubordination.  The  quick  eye  of 
the  principal  readily  detected  the  nature  of  the  mis 
chief,  though  it  was  as  impossible  for  him  as  for  the 
officers  immediately  to  indicate  the  authors  of  the  con 
fusion  which  prevailed  throughout  the  ship. 

"This  does  not  look  much  like  going  down  the 
Rhine  this  week,"  said  Mr.  Lowington  to  Commo 
dore  Kendall,  as  he  stepped  upon  the  quarter-deck. 


1 8  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

"  I  don't  think  it  does,  sir,"  replied  Paul,  grieved 
and  indignant  at  the  miserable  exhibition  of  seaman 
ship  which  the  crew  then  presented. 

"  This  is  a  strange  sight  on  board  of  this  ship,"  add 
ed  the  principal,  biting  his  lips  with  vexation,  for,  as 
usual,  when  the  young  tars  displayed  their  seaman 
ship,  there  were  plenty  of  spectators  on  shore,  and  on 
board  of  other  vessels  in  the  roadstead. 

"  I  certainly  never  saw  anything  like  it  since  we 
first  began  to  learn  ship's  duty  in  Brockwa)»  harbor." 

"  The  crew  appear  to  be  hazing  the  new  officers," 
continued  Mr.  Lowington,  who  could  not  fail  to  per 
ceive  that  a  large  portion  of  the  apparent  blundering 
was  intentional. 

"  Of  course  there  isn't  a  seaman  on  board  who  does 
not  know  his  duty." 

"  They  are  not  familiar  yet  with  their  new  stations, 
and  a  little  confusion  is  unavoidable,"  said  Mr.  Low 
ington,  willing  to  make  all  reasonable  allowances. 

"  But  they  have  already  been  through  the  routine 
two  or  three  times,"  suggested  Paul. 

"  Are  the  crew  dissatisfied  with  the  election?"  asked 
the  principal. 

"  I  have  not  heard  any  dissatisfation  expressed  ;  but 
I  suppose  some  of  them  don't  like  Shuffles,  especially 
those  who  went  off  in  the  Josephine." 

"  There  are  not  twenty  of  them  left  in  the  ship  ; 
and  it  seems  as  though  the  whole  crew  were  engaged 
in  this  frolic." 

At  this  moment  a  gang  of  the  waist  men,  who  were 
walking  away  with  the  main-topsail  sheets,  were  sud 
denly  piled  up  in  a  pyramid  on  deck.  The  second 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN   GERMANY.  19 

fellow  in  the  line  had  fallen  down ;  the  next  had 
tripped  over  him,  and  those  that  followed  tumbled  into 
the  heap.  It  is  more  than  probable  that  some,  whose 
estimate  of  the  value  of  good  order  was  not  very  high, 
though  they  were  tolerably  good  boys  in  the  main, 
were  tempted  by  their  love  of  fun  to  take  part  in  what 
appeared  to  them  only  a  frolic.  A  scene  of  violent 
confusion  ensued  in  this  particular  part  of  the  deck. 
Some,  who  were  near  the  bottom  of  the  pile,  were 
hurt  by  those  who  fell  upon  them,  and  the  tempers 
of  others  were  not  improved  by  the  mishap.  Hard 
words  followed,  those  at  the  bottom  blaming  those 
at  the  top,  and  those  at  the  top  growling  at  those 
at  the  bottom.  Some  were  rubbing  their  elbows,  oth 
ers  their  shins,  and  all  appeared  to  be  anxious  to  ascer 
tain  who  had  produced  the  mischief. 

"  Pipe  to  muster,  Captain  Shuffles,"  said  the  prin 
cipal,  stepping  up  to  the  bewildered  commander. 
"  We  have  had  about  enough  of  this." 

Shuffles  gave  the  order  to  the  first  lieutenant,  and 
it  was  duly  transmitted  to  the  boatswain,  whose  shrill 
pipe  soon  assembled  the  whole  ship's  company  in  the 
waist. 

44  We  shall  catch  it  now,"  said  Spencer,  one  of  the 
runaways,  to  Howe,  as  they  met  near  the  rail,  a  little 
outside  of  the  crowd. 

44  No  matter ;  he  is  only  going  to  preach  to  us,"  re 
plied  Howe  through  the  corner  of  his  mouth,  while 
lie  tried  to  look  as  innocent  as  one  of  the  chaplain's 
lambs. 

44  We  skall  not  have  a  chance  to  go  down  the 
Rhine  if  we  do  things  in  this  way." 


2O  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

"  I  don't  want  to  go  down  the  Rhine  ;  at  least,  not 
till  I  -have  been  through  Paris  and  Switzerland." 

"  But  we  want  to  go  ashore  with  the  other  fellows, 
or  we  shall  have  no  chance  to  go  anywhere." 

"  Shut  up !  Don't  talk  about  that  here.  If  we 
don't  go,  no  one  will  go.  This  is  bully  !  We  shall 
get  things  mixed  so  that  the  officers  won't  know  a 
lamb  from  a  goat." 

"  Bob  Shuffles  hasn't  made  much  yet  as  captain," 
laughed  Spencer. 

"  We'll  get  even  with  him  yet,"  added  Howe,  still 
talking  through  the  corner  of  his  mouth,  and  looking 
all  the  time  at  the  principal,  who  had  taken  his  place 
on  the  hatch. 

Mr.  Lowington,  as  the  rogue  had  suggested,  only 
intended  to  "  preach."  He  had  observed  the  insubor 
dination  of  the  crew,  and  he  regretted  it  exceedingly, 
for  he  was  as  careful  of  the  reputation  of  the  ship  as  of 
his  own.  There  was  an  evident  intention  on  the  part  of 
a  large  portion  of  the  ship's  company  to  haze  the  new 
officers.  Such  a  purpose  was  unworthy  the  character 
of  young  gentlemen,  and  he  hoped  that  such  conduct 
as  he  had  just  witnessed  would  be  discontinued.  In  a 
day  or  two  he  purposed  to  start  for  Germany,  but  he 
could  not  leave  the  ship  unless  he  was  satisfied  that 
every  one  on  board  knew  his  duty  ;  for  on  their  return 
they  might  be  compelled,  by  some  unforeseen  event, 
to  go  to  sea  at  once,  and  the  crew  did  not  appear  to 
know  how  to  set  and  furl  a  sail.  The  officers,  from 
the  captain  to  the  lowest  rank,  appeared  to  have  per 
formed  their  duty  faithfully ;  and  all  the  -trouble  was 
in  the  execution  of  their  orders.  In  conclusion,  he 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  21 

announced  that  the  drill  would  be  resumed  in  half  an 
hour,  and  directed  the  commander  to  pipe  down. 

"  That  didn't  hurt  anybody,"  said  Howe,  as  he 
walked  forward  with  Spencer.  "  Let  us  keep  it  up." 

44  We  may  get  caught  at  it." 

"  No  need  of  that.     Accidents  will  happen." 

"  Yes ;  but  they  don't  happen  all  over  the  ship  at 
the  same  time." 

"  Well,  they  may,  yon  know,"  laughed  Howe.  "  In 
fact,  I  don't  see  how  accidents  are  to  be  avoided  while 
we  have  such  a  fellow  as  Shuffles  for  captain.  If 
there  is  any  one  in  the  ship  that  I  despise,  it  is  Shuf 
fles." 

u  So  say  we  all  of  us  ! " 

"  The  snivelling,  canting,  whining  puppy  !  Have 
you  any  idea  that  his  merit-marks  made  him  captain 
of  the  ship  ?  "  continued  Howe. 

44 1  suppose  they  did." 

"Tell  that  to  the  marines!  Wasn't  he  acknowl 
edged  to  be  the  worst  fellow  in  the  ship  when  we 
crossed  the  Atlantic  ?  Wasn't  he  the  ringleader  in  all 
mischief  and  scrapes?" 

4'  But  he  has  reformed." 

44  Reformed  !  "  sneered  Howe.  44  He  has  turned 
hypocrite,  if  that  is  what  you  mean  by  reformed.  I 
don't  believe  in  that  sort  of  bosh." 

44  He's  the  pet  of  the  principal  and  the  instructors." 

4'  Yes ;  and  they  have  given  him  marks  enough  to 
make  him  captain,  just  to  show  good  fellows,  like  you 
and  me,  what  a  saint  can  do.  It  is  all  humbug ! 
Why,  he  got  more  marks  than  Kendall,  Gordon,  Ha 
ven,  and  the  rest  of  those  cabin  nobs,  who  are  fit  to 


22  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

enter  the  senior  class  in  a  college.  I  am  satisfied  that 
his  merit-roll  was  doctored  so  as  to  make  it  come  out 
as  it  did." 

"  I  don't  believe  Lowington  would  do  any  such 
thing  as  that,"  suggested  Spencer,  shaking  his  head. 

"  Don't  you  ?  Well,  I  do.  What's  the  use  of  talk 
ing  !  Didn't  Shuffles  jump  from  the  steerage  into  the 
captain's  state-room  ?  " 

"  Any  other  fellow.may  do  the  same  thirig.  Look 
at  Tom  Perth,  who  lost  a  heap  of  marks  for  running 
off  in  the  Josephine,  as  the  rest  of  us  did.  He  is  sec 
ond  master.  If  it  hadn't  been  for  our  scrape,  very 
likely  he  would  have  been  captain." 

"  Don't  you  believe  it." 

"  If  Lowington  had  not  been  fair,  and  let  every  fel 
low  go  just  where  his  marks  carried  him,  Perth  would 
not  have  had  a  place  in  the  cabin." 

"  O,  the  principal  only  wanted  to  break  us  up  by 
taking  our  best  fellow  away  from  us.  He  couldn't 
drive  Tom  Perth,  and  now  he's  going  to  lead  him  — 
bait  him  with  sugar  and  offices." 

"  Some  of  the  fellows  say  Shuffles  can't  handle  the 
ship  without  the  help  of  the  principal,"  said  Spencer. 

"  Of  course  he  can't !  "  exclaimed  Howe.  "  Hasn't 
he  proved  that  already?  If  Paul  Kendall  had  been 
captain,  he  would  have  spotted  every  fellow  that  made 
any  trouble.  Let  us  keep  it  up,  Spencer,  and  we 
shall  soon  prove  that  Shuffles  can't  handle  the  ship. 
That  will  be  enough  to  satisfy  me." 

The  approach  of  an  officer  interrupted  the  conver 
sation  ;  but  Howe  passed  from  one  to  another  of  the 
malcontents,  and  instructed  them  what  to  do  in  the 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  23 

next  drill.  They  were  to  create  all  the  confusion  they 
could  in  the  discharge  of  their  duty.  They  were  to 
misunderstand  the  orders,  and  to  blunder  in  the  exe 
cution  of  them,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  conceal  their 
own  agency  in  the  mischief,  and  divide  the  responsi 
bility  of  it  among  their  companions.  The  runaway 
crew  of  the  Josephine,  mortified  at  their  failure,  were 
still  fretting  because  they  had  not  visited  Paris  and 
Switzerland.  They  were  ready  to  listen  to  evil  coun 
sels,  and  regarding  Howe  as  their  leader  since  the 
promotion  of  Perth,  they  promised  to  follow  his 
instructions  to  the  letter. 

"What  are  we  going  to  make  by  it?"  demanded 
Sheffield,  who  doubted  the  policy  of  the  proceeding. 

"  We  are  going  to  prove,  in  the  first  place,  that 
Shuffles  can't  handle  the  ship,"  replied  Howe. 

"  Perhaps  you  may  prove  it,  even  if  you  don't  be 
lieve  what  you  prove." 

"  But  I  do  believe  he  can't  handle  the  ship." 

"  I  don't.  I  hate  Shuffles  as  bad  as  any  fellow,  but 
I  believe  he  is  as  good  a  sailor  as  any  person  on  board, 
man  or  boy." 

"  That's  all  in  your  eye ! "  retorted  Howe,  con 
temptuously.  "  He  may  be  able  to  get  along  while 
we  are  lying  in  port,  but  I  should  like  to  see  him  work 
the  ship  in  a  gale  of  wind." 

"  He  can  do  it,"  answered  Sheffield,  confidently. 
"But  he  is  a  flunky,  and  spoiled  all  our  fun  in  the 
Josephine.  I  am  willing  to  throw  him  over  for  being 
a  hypocrite,  and  selling  us  out  as  he  did.  What  else 
are  we  to  gain?" 

"  We  shall  help  along  our  chances  of  going  down 


24  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

the  Rhine,  and,"  whispered  Howe,  "  of  seeing  Paris 
and  Switzerland." 

"  I  don't  see  it." 

"  Well,  I  do.  If  we  cave  in  and  pretend  to  be 
lambs  when  we  are  lions,  we  shall  have  to  do  duty 
while  the  rest  of  the  fellows  are  having  a  good  time 
on  shore.  If  we  show  that  we  are  still  wide  awake, 
Lowington  will  take  us  with  him,  because  he  will  not 
dare  to  leave  us  on  board." 

"  He  will  leave  Fluxion  with  us." 

"  Not  much  !  I  heard  some  of  the  fellows  say  that 
Fluxion  was  going  to  Italy  to  see  his  mother,  or  his 
sister,  or  somebody  that  is  sick  there." 

"  I  heard  that." 

"  If  it  is  true,  Lowington  will  not  leave  us  behind, 
especially  if  he  finds  we  are  not  as  gentle  as  lambs." 

"Perhaps  not;  but  as  the  matter  stands,  we  are 
already  condemned  to  stay  on  board  during  the  rest  of 
the  season." 

"  I  know  that ;  but  Lowington  will  let  us  off." 

"  He  will  be  more  likely  to  do  so  if  we  behave 
well." 

"  Not  he  !     Don't  you  believe  it." 

"  They  say  Shuffles  is  teasing  him  to  remit  the  rest 
of  the  penalty." 

"  Shuffles !  " 

"  That's  so ;  and  Lowington  promised  to  consider 
the  matter.  Tom  Perth  told  me  this ;  and  he  heard 
Shuffles  talking  to  the  principal  about  it." 

"  Humph  !  I  don't  want  to  go  on  those  terms,"  re 
plied  Howe,  in  disgust.  "  That's  some  more  of  Shuf- 
fles's  cant !  One  of  his  sensations !  He  thinks  he 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  25 

whipped  us  out  on  board  of  the  Josephine,  and  now  he 
wants  to  be  magnanimous  with  his  victims.  If  we  go 
with  the  crowd,  it  will  be  because  Lowington  is  afraid 
to  leave  us  behind.  We  are  not  a  set  of  babies,  Shef 
field,  to  be  whipped  and  sent  to  bed  when  we  are 
naughty.  Neither  are  we  sailors  before  the  mast,  to 
be  kicked  here  and  there,  at  the  pleasure  of  our  mas 
ters.  What  do  you  suppose  the  fellows  came  to 
Europe  for,  if  it  was  not  to  see  the  country?  Are 
we  to  be  left  on  board  just  because  we  went  on  a  little 
lark?  Not  much!" 

"  That's  all  very  good,  but  it  won't  go  down," 
laughed  Sheffield. 

"  I'm  not  going  to  eat  humble  pie  for  any  one.  Do 
you  mean  to  tell  me  I  am  not  as  good  a  fellow  as  Bob 
Shuffles?" 

"  I  didn't  say  you  were  not." 

"  Am  I  not  his  equal?"  demanded  Howe. 

"  I  suppose  you  are,  if  you  behave  as  well." 

"  Behave  as  well !  "  sneered  the  orator.  "  I  behave 
well  enough,  and  I'm  not  going  to  be  put  down,  nor 
beg  my  rights  of  Bob  Shuffles.  If  I  am  left  on  board, 
for  one,  when  the  fellows  go  down  the  Rhine,  I  in 
tend  to  break  things." 

"  Don't  break  your  own  head." 

"  Let  me  alone  for  that.  If  our  fellows  have  any 
spirit  at  all,  they  will  not  be  left  behind.  In  the  next 
drill,  things  will  be  mixed,  and  no  one  can  tell  who 
makes  the  mischief.  Our  fellows  are  not  the  only 
ones  that  don't  like  Shuffles,  and  you  will  find  that 
about  half  the  crew  will  help  snarl  things  up.  Now, 
keep  your  weather  eye  open,  Sheffield.  Take  my  ad- 


26  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    O& 

vice,  and  don't  whimper.  Our  fellows  have  a  little 
business  in  Paris  and  Switzerland,  and  we  shall  attend 
to  it  in  a  week  or  two.  There  goes  the  pipe.  Mind 
your  eye,  Sheffield." 

The  boatswain's  call  sounded  through  the  ship,  and 
officers  and  crew  hastened  to  their  stations. 


YOUNG  AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  27 


CHAPTER  II. 

CLOSE    OJJARTERS. 

'TTVHE  malcontents  in  the  ship  were,  apparently, 
the  most  zealous  seamen  on  board.  Certainly 
no  one  would  have  suspected  them  of  organizing  any 
mischief,  they  looked  so  innocent  and  so  determined 
to  do  their  duty  promptly.  Howe,  Wilton,  Little, 
and  others  had  done  their  work  thoroughly  and  se 
cretly.  They  had  arranged  at  least  a  dozen  different 
tricks  for  making  confusion  among  the  crew.  To  each 
one  of  the  discontented  a  part  had  been  assigned, 
which  he  was  to  perform  in  such  a  way  as  to  con 
ceal  his  own  agency. 

Captain  Shuffles  was  planking  the  quarter-deck 
with  the  commodore.  Everybody  could  see  that  he 
was  not  entirely  at  his  ease.  His  position  was  a  novel 
one  to  him,  and  he  was  oppressed  by  its  responsibili 
ties,  especially  since  the  crew  had  behaved  so  badly  at 
the  first  drill.  He  could  not  help  knowing  that  a  por 
tion  of  the  crew  were  opposed  to  him,  and  would  do 
anything  they  could  to  annoy  him.  The  situation 
was  a  difficult  one ;  for,  at  the  commencement  of  his 
term  of  office,  he  did  not  wish  to  have  any  of  the  sea 
men  punished  for  neglect  or  disobedience,  even  if  he 
could  discover  the  guilty  ones. 


28  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

Mr.  Lowington  was  not  on  deck.  He  had  pur 
posely  gone  below,  for  he  wished  the  new  captain  to 
act  on  his  own  responsibility,  and  overcome  the  diffi 
culty  alone.  This  was  in  accordance  with  his  previ 
ous  course,  when,  even  in  a  gale  of  wind,  he  permitted 
the  young  officers  to  handle  the  ship  without  any  dic 
tation.  Though  the  action  adopted  by  the  boys  was 
not  always  in  accordance  with  his  own  judgment,  he 
never  interfered  unless  an  obvious  and  dangerous  blun 
der  was  made.  His  policy  had  worked  well  thus  far, 
and  he  was  disposed  to  continue  it.  In  the  present 
instance,  he  was  no  better  informed  than  the  captain 
in  regard  to  the  real  cause  of  the  difficulty.  He  be 
lieved  it  was  merely  the  effect  of  a  fun-loving  spirit 
on  the  part  of  the  crew ;  a  mere  disposition  to  haze 
the  new  officers  a  little,  and  perhaps  prove  what  they 
were  made  of.  He  hoped  the  new  officers  would  sat 
isfy  them,  and,  if  necessary,  send  a  dozen  or  twenty 
of  the  mischief-makers  to  the  mainmast  for  punish 
ment. 

"  All  hands,  up  anchor,  ahoy  !  "  piped  the  boatswain, 
after  he  had  received  the  order  from,  the  captain, 
through  the  proper  officers. 

Those  whose  stations  were  at  the  cable  and  cap 
stan  sprang  to  their  places  with  unwonted  alacrity. 

"  Bring  to,  forward  !  "  added  the  first  lieutenant, 
giving  the  order  to  attach  the  messenger.  "  Ship 
and  swifter  the  capstan  bars  !  " 

As  it  was  not  intended  to  get  the  ship  actually  under 
way,  only  a  portion  of  the  work  indicated  by  the  or 
ders  was  really  executed.  The  form  of  hooking  on  the 
messenger  was  gone  through  with,  as  also  were  the 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN   GERMANY.  29 

various  preparations  for  catting  and  fishing  the  anchor. 
The  capstan  bars  were  inserted  in  the  pigeon-holes. 

"  Heave  round  !  "  shouted  the  first  lieutenant ;  and 
the  order  was  repeated  by  the  second  lieutenant,  whose 
station  is  on  the  forecastle. 

Everything  appeared  to  be  progressing  with  proper 
order  and  regularity,  and  Captain  Shuffles  hoped  the 
warning  words  of  the  principal  had  produced  an  im 
pression  upon  the  minds  of  the  mischief-makers.  But 
appearances  are  very  deceptive.  While  the  hands 
were  walking  around  the  capstan,  four  of  the  bars 
suddenly  came  out  of  the  pigeon-holes  at  the  same 
instant,  and  a  dozen  of  the  seamen  were  thrown,  ap 
parently  with  great  violence,  upon  the  deck.  The 
bars,  confined  at  one  end  by  the  swifter,  swung  round 
and  cracked  the  shins  of  others,  and  a  scene  of  con 
fusion  ensued,  which  set  at  nought  all  ideas  of  disci 
pline. 

No  one  was  badly  hurt,  but  every  one  was  excited. 
Those  who  were  not  concerned  in  the  plot  caught  the 
spirit  of  mischief  from  the  others,  and,  with  but  few 
exceptions,  the  crew  joined  in  the  sport.  The  seaman 
who  originated  the  trouble  had  simply  neglected  to 
insert  the  pins  which  confine  the  capstan  bars  within 
the  pigeon-holes,  or  had  left  the  bars  with  the  heads 
against  the  pins.  As  nearly  all  joined  in  the  frolic, 
there  were  none  to  inform  against  others,  and  it  was 
simply  impossible  for  Leavitt,  the  second  lieutenant, 
or  Ellis,  the  first  master,  —  under  whose  eye  this 
breach  of  discipline  had  occurred,  —  to  determine 
who  the  ringleaders  were. 

Shuffles  and  the  commodore  were  intensely  annoyed 


30  DOWN    THE   RHINE,    OR 

at  this  scene,  and  immediately  went  forward.  By  this 
time,  those  who  had  been  thrown  upon  the  deck, 
which  included  nearly  all  at  the  capstan,  had  picked 
themselves  up.  The  Knights  looked  even  more  inno 
cent  than  those  whom  they  had  dragged  into  the 
scrape,  and  the  high  officers  from  the  quarter-deck 
were  no  wiser  than  the  lieutenant  and  master.  In  the 
midst  of  the  confusion,  Howe  and  Wilton  had  re 
moved  the  pins  from  the  bars,  which  still  remained  in 
the  drumhead  of  the  capstan. 

uMr.  Leavitt,  how  did  this  happen?"  demanded 
Captain  Shuffles. 

"  Half  the  bars  dropped  out  of  the  capstan  all  at 
once,  and  the  hands  were  thrown  down,"  replied  the 
lieutenant,  who  was  hardly  less  annoyed  than  the 
captain. 

"  Were  the  bars  pinned  in?" 

"  I  supposed  they  wrere,  sir." 

Captain  Shuffles  walked  up  to  the  capstan.  Not  a 
single  pin  was  inserted. 

"  Let  your  midshipman  see  that  the  bars  are  prop 
erly  pinned  and  swiftered  next  time,"  said  the  com 
mander,  as  he  walked  aft  to  resume  his  place  on  the 
quarter-deck. 

"  Unship  the  bars  !  "  said  Leavitt ;  and  they  were 
restored  to  the  rack,  leaving  everything  as  it  was  be 
fore  the  drill  began. 

The  crew  were  piped  to  muster,  and  the  order 
to  weigh  anchor  repeated.  The  capstan  bars  were 
shipped,  and  this  time,  the  midshipman  whose  station 
was  on  the  forecastle  satisfied  himself  that  they  were 
securely  pinned,  and  so  reported  to  the  second  lieuten- 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  31 

ant.  As  the  rogues  had  made  no  provision  for  this 
state  of  things,  they  were  thrown  upon  their  own 
resources  for  the  means  of  defeating  the  operation  a 
second  time.  Commodore  Kendall  had  placed  him 
self  in  position  to  watch  the  movement,  and  the  offi 
cers  in  charge  had  pinned  their  eyes  wide  open,  fully 
resolved  that  the  authors  of  the  trouble  should  not 
escape  a  second  time. 

Directly  abaft  the  capstan  was  the  fore-hatch,  over 
•which  lay  the  path  of  those  who  walked  around  at 
the  bars.  Ordinarily  the  hatch  was  closed  when  the 
capstan  was  used ;  but,  on  the  present  occasion,  a 
plank  had  been  placed  across  the  aperture,  to  avoid 
the  necessity  of  putting  on  the  hatch,  and  thus  exclud 
ing  the  air  from  the  kitchen,  where  the  cooks  were 
baking  their  daily  batch  of  bread. 

"  Heave  round  !  "  said  the  first  lieutenant. 

"  Heave  round  !  "  repeated  the  second  lieutenant ; 
and  the  hands  at  the  capstan  began  their  circular  march. 

By  some  means  not  observed  by  the  vigilant  officers, 
the  plank  over  the  fore-hatch  slowly  travelled  along 
until  one  end  of  it  barely  caught  on  the  combing  of 
the  hatch.  Half  a  dozen  seamen  had  given  it  a  kick 
with  their  heels  as  they  passed  over  it,  and  it  was 
soon  in  condition  to  drop  into  the  steerage  below. 
Little  stepped  upon  it,  and  down  it  went.  Releasing 
his  hold  of  the  bar,  he  dropped  upon  the  steps  below, 
and  disappeared.  Sheffield  followed  him,  and  then 
Ibbotson.  The  hands  at  the  other  side  of  the  capstan 
took  care  that  the  party  should  keep  moving.  A  few 
well-disposed  boys,  when  they  came  to  the  hatch,  — 
which  was  not  more  than  four  feet  wide,  —  leaped 


32  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

across  it,  as  any  of  them  might  have  done,  if  they  had 
not  been  infected  with  the  spirit  of  mischief. 

"  Avast  heaving !  "  shouted  the  second  lieutenant. 

At  this  instant  one  of  the  lambs  was  on  the  comb 
ing  of  the  hatch,  and  he  must  either  go  over  or  hang 
by  the  bar ;  so  he  pushed  along,  and  his  movement 
brought  another  into  a  similar  position.  Seeing  how 
the  case  was,  the  rogues  kept  the  capstan  going,  in 
spite  of  the  commands  of  the  officers,  until  two  thirds 
of  the  gang  had  dropped  into  the  steerage.  It  was 
finally  suspended  by  the  efforts  of  the  excited  officers, 
who  took  hold  of  the  bars  with  their  own  hands,  and 
counteracted  the  efforts  of  the  rogues. 

The  young  rascals  in  the  steerage  pretended  to  be 
hurt  more  seriously  than  they  were,  though  some  of 
them  had  struck  the  steps  or  the  floor  below  with 
force  enough  to  make  them  feel  a  little  sore.  They 
began  to  limp,  and  to  rub  their  shins  and  shoulders, 
their  heads  and  arms,  very  vigorously,  as  though  they 
believed  that  friction  was  a  sovereign  remedy  for 
aching  bones. 

"Why  didn't  you  stop,  Hunter,  when  I  ordered 
you  to  do  so?"  demanded  Leavitt,  indignantly. 

"  I  couldn't,  sir,"  replied  the  lamb,  speaking  only 
the  simple  truth. 

'*  Yes,  you  could  !  I  will  report  you  for  disobedi 
ence." 

"  I  was  right  over  the  hatch,  and  I  had  either  to  go 
down  or  jump  over  :  I  couldn't  stop  there." 

"  And  you  did  the  same  thing,  Hyde,"  added  the 
officer. 

"  I  couldn't  help  it,  sir,"  replied  he.     "  When  Hun- 


YOUNG  AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  33 

ter  got  over,  he  dragged  me  so  far  that  I  couldn't 
stop." 

"  Why  didn't  you  let  go,  then?"  demanded  Leavitt, 
angrily. 

"  I  was  afraid  the  next  bar  would  hit  me  in  the 
head." 

Both  of  these  boys  were  ordinarily  models  of  pro 
priety,  and  they  had  not,  for  an  instant,  intended  to  do 
anything  out  of  order.  The  real  culprits  were  all  at 
the  foot  of  the  stairs,  rubbing  their  limbs  and  making 
the  most  terrible  contortions,  as  though  their  legs, 
arms,  and  heads  were  actually  broken.  The  officers 
had  all  seen  Hunter  and  Hyde  pushing  along  the  bars 
after  the  order  had  been  given  to  stop.  They  seemed 
to  be  guilty,  and  they  were  required  to  report  at  the 
mainmast  to  the  first  lieutenant,  for  discipline.  The 
second  lieutenant  then  went  down  the  fore-hatch, 
where  the  appalling  spectacle  of  a  crowd  of  sufferers 
was  presented  to  his  view. 

"  Are  you  hurt,  Little?  "he  asked,  turning  to  the 
most  prominent  victim  of  the  catastrophe. 

"Yes,  sir,"  groaned  Little,  twisting  his  back-bone 
almost  into  a  hard  knot,  and  trying  to  reach  the  seat 
of  his  injury  with  both  hands  at  the  same  time. 

"  How  happened  you  to  fall  through  ? "  inquired 
Leavitt,  more  gently  than  he  had  spoken  on  deck,  for 
the  sight  of  all  this  misery  evidently  affected  him. 

"  I  don't  know,  sir,"  answered  Little,  with  one  of 
his  most  violent  contortions.  "  I  was  looking  up  at 
the  fore-yard  arm,  and  —  ugh  !  —  the  first  thing  I  knew, 
I  was  —  O,  dear!  —  I  was  down  here,  with  that  — 
ugh  !  — with  that  plank  on  top  of  me." 
3 


34  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

"Are  you  much  hurt?" 

"I  don't  know.  It  aches  first  rate'," 'cried  Little, 
with  a  deep,  explosive  sigh. 

"  Well,  go  aft,  and  report  to  the  surgeon." 

"  I  don't  want  to  go  to  the  surgeon.  He  mauls  me 
about  to  death.  I  shall  be  better  soon." 

"  On  deck,  all  who  are  able  to  do  so  ! "  added  Leav- 
itt.  "  Bennington,  you  will  ask  Dr.  Winstock  to  at 
tend  to  those  who  are  hurt,  and  report  to  the  first 
lieutenant." 

But  it  did  not  appear  that  any  one  was  so  much  in 
jured  as  to  require  the  services  of  the  surgeon,  for  the 
whole  party  went  on  deck  at  the  order.  Little  still 
writhed  and  twisted.  Howe  rubbed  his  knee,  and 
Spencer  nursed  his  elbow.  Commodore  Kendall,  who 
had  witnessed  the  whole  affair,  did  not  see  how  it  was 
possible  for  them  to  tumble  down  the  hatchway  with 
out  injuring  themselves,  and  he  was  willing  to  believe 
that  the  appearance  was  not  deceitful.  He  had  kept 
his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  crew  as  they  walked  round  the 
capstan,  but  he  was  unable  to  determine  whether  the 
mishap  was  the  result  of  accident  or  intention. 

Again  the  captain  came  forward  ;  but  after  consult 
ing  with  Paul,  he  returned  to  the  quarter-deck  with 
out  making  any  comments.  The  two  lambs  had  re 
ported  to  the  first  lieutenant,  and  the  matter  had  gone 
to  Captain  Shuffles,  who  directed  the  culprits  to  be  sent 
to  the  principal.  They  went  into  the  steerage,  and 
knocking  at  the  door  of  the  main  cabin,  Mr.  Lowing- 
ton  came  out,  and  heard  their  statement.  They  were 
ordered  to  their  mess-rooms  to  await  an  investigation. 

The  hatchway  was  closed,  and  the  order  to  man  the 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN    GERMANY.  35 

capstan  was  given  a  third  time.  The  injured  seamen 
had  in  a  measure  recovered  the  use  of  their  limbs,  and 
though  they  still  limped  and  squirmed,  they  took  their 
places  in  the  line.  Either  their  will  or  their  ingenuity 
to  do  mischief  failed  them,  the  third  time,  for  the  form 
of  heaving  up.  the  anchor  to  a  short  stay  was  regularly 
accomplished.  The  commodore  and  all  the  officers 
in  the  forward  part  of  the  ship  watched  the  operation 
with  the  keenest  scrutiny,  and  when  it  was  success 
fully  finished,  they  hoped  the  end  of  all  the  mishaps 
had  come. 

"  Pawl  the  capstan  !  Unship  the  bars  !  Stations 
for  loosing  sail !  "  continued  the  first  lieutenant. 
"  Lay  aloft,  sail-loosers  !  " 

The  nimble  young  tars,  whose  places  were  aloft, 
sprang  up  the  rigging. 

"  Man  the  boom-tricing  lines  !  " 

But  the  boom-tricing  lines  appeared  to  be  in  a  snarl, 
and  it  was  some  time  before  they  were  ready  for  use, 
being  manipulated  by  some  of  the  mischief-makers. 

"  Trice  up  !  "  shouted  Goodwin,  the  executive  officer. 

Up  went  the  inner  ends  of  the  studding-sail  booms. 

"  Lay  out !  "  added  Goodwin. 

"  Lay  out !  "  repeated  the  midshipmen  in  the  tops  ; 
and  the  seamen  ran  out  on  the  foot-ropes  to  their  sev 
eral  stations  for  loosing  sail. 

At  the  same  time,  the  forecastle  hands  were  loosing 
the  fore-topmast  staysail,  jib,  and  flying  jib,  and  the 
after-guard,  or  quarter-deck  hands,  were  clearing  away 
the  spanker. 

"  Loose  !  "  said  the  executive  officer  ;  and  the  hands 
removed  the  gaskets,  stoppers,  and  other  ropes,  used 
to  confine  the  sails  when  furled. 


36  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

"  Stand  by  —  let  fall !  "  was  the  next  order. 

At  this  command  all  the  square  sails  should  have 
dropped  from  the  yards  at  the  same  instant,  but  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  not  half  of  them  did  drop.  Sheets, 
buntlines,  bowlines,  lifts,  reef-pendants,  and  halyards 
were  fearfully  snarled  up.  Some  of  the  seamen  on 
the  yards  were  pulling  one  way,  and  some  another ; 
some  declared  the  snarl  was  in  one  place,  others  in 
another  place.  The  rogues  had  realized  an  undoubted 
success  in  the  work  they  had  undertaken.  Vainly  the 
midshipmen  in  the  tops  tried  to  bring  order  out  of  con 
fusion.  Those  who  were  actually  laboring  to  untangle 
the  ropes  only  increased  the  snarl. 

The  condition  of  affairs  was  duly  reported  to  the 
captain,  who  had  become  very  impatient  at  the  long 
delay.  The  masters  were  then  sent  aloft  to  help  the 
midshipmen  unravel  the  snarl,  but  they  succeeded  no 
better.  It  was  evident  enough  to  all  the  officers  that 
this  confusion  could  not  have  been  created  without  an 
intention  to  do  it.  An  accident  might  have  happened 
on  the  main  or  the  mizzen-mast,  but  not  on  every  yard 
on  all  three  of  the  masts.  » 

"  What  are  you  about?  "  asked  Perth,  who  had  been 
sent  into  the  main-top,  as  he  met  Howe. 

"  We  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  Bob  Shuffles 
can't  handle  this  ship,"  whispered  the  ringleader  of 
the  mischief,  with  a  significant  wink. 

"  You  are  getting  us  into  a  scrape." 

"  Well,  we  all  are  in  the  same  boat." 

"  Don't  carry  it  too  far,"  suggested  Master  Perth. 

"Carry  what  too  far?"  demanded  Robinson,  the 
midshipman  in  the  top,  who  had  heard  a  word  or 


YOUNG   AMERICA  IN   GERMANY.  37 

two  of. the  confidential  talk  —  enough  to  give  him  an 
idea  of  what  was  in  the  wind. 

"  Dry  up,  old  fellow,"  said  Perth,  with  some  confu 
sion,  as  Howe,  who  had  come  down  from  the  yard  to 
cast  oft'  a  line,  sprang  back  to  his  place. 

"What  did  you  mean  by  that  remark*  of  yours  ?" 
inquired  the  midshipman. 

"  I  told  Howe  not  to  carry  the  end  of  the  buntline 
too  far.  It  was  wound  three  times  around  the  topsail 
sheet." 

"Was  that  what  you  meant?"  asked  Robinson,  sus 
piciously. 

"  Don't  you  see  that  buntline  ?  "  replied  Perth.  "  It 
is  fouled  in  the  sheet,  and  he  was  pulling  it  through 
farther,  so  as  to  snarl  it  up  still  worse." 

"  All  right,"  replied  the  inferior,  who,  however,  was 
far  from  being  satisfied  with  the  explanation. 

"  All  right !  "  retorted  Perth,  smartly.  "  Is  that  the 
way  you  address  your  superior  officer.  One  would 
think  I  was  responsible  to  you  for  my  words  and  ac 
tions." 

"  I  didn't  mean  that,"  added  Robinson. 

"What  did  you  mean?" 

"  I  only  said  all  right  to  your  explanation." 

"  You  did  —  did  you  ?  "  said  Perth,  severely.  "  Then 
you  called  me  to  an  account,  and  now  you  acquit  me  !  " 

"I  beg  your  pardon.  Whatever  I  said,  I  did  not 
mean  anything  disrespectful,"  pleaded  Robinson. 

"  Is  this  the  kind  of  discipline  among  the  officers? 
If  k  is,  I  don't  wonder  that  the  crew  get  snarled  up. 
I  don't  like  to  blow  on  a  fellow,  but  I'm  tempted  to 
send  you  to  the  mainmast." 


38  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

"  I  didn't  mean  anything." 

Master  Perth  turned  from  his  abashed  inferior,  as 
cended  the  main  rigging,  and  with  a  few  sharp  orders, 
compelled  the  topmen  to  unsnarl  the  ropes.  He  was 
afraid  the  midshipman  would  report  what  he  had  said 
to  the  captain,  and  he  had  attempted  to  intimidate  him 
into  silence  by  threatening  him  with  a  similar  fate. 

"  On  deck  !  "  hailed  Perth  from  the  top.  "All  ready 
in  the  main-top,  sir,"  he  added,  when  the  third  lieu 
tenant  answered  his  hail  from  the  waist. 

After  a  delay  of  half  an  hour,  a  like  report  came 
down  from  the  fore  and  mizzen-tops.  The  masters  re 
turned  to  their  stations  on  deck,  and  everything  was  in 
readiness  to  continue  the  manoeuvre.  Captain  Shuffles 
was  in  earnest  conversation  with  Commodore  Kendall. 
A  more  unsatisfactory  state  of  things  could  not  exist 
than  that  which  prevailed  on  board  of  the  Young 
America.  The  conduct  of  the  crew  amounted  almost 
to  mutiny.  Those  who  had  maliciously  made  the 
mischief,  and  those  who  had  been  engaged  in  it  from 
a  love  of  fun,  had  succeeded  in  confounding  those 
who  meant  to  do  their  duty.  It  was  impossible  to 
tell  who  were  guilty  and  who  were  innocent ;  for 
three  quarters,  at  least,  of  the  crew  seemed  to  be  con 
cerned  in  the  confusion. 

"  It  is  clear  enough  that  they  are  hazing  me,"  said 
Captain  Shuffles,  sadly.  "  I  don't  know  that  I  have 
done  anything  to  set  the  fellows  against  me." 

"  Certainly  not,"  replied  Paul,  warmly.  "  You  have 
only  done  your  duty.  I  have  no  doubt  those  fellows 
who  ran  away  in  the  Josephine  are  at  the  bottom  of  it. 
If  I  am  not  very  much  mistaken,  I  saw  Howe,  on 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  39 

the  main-topsail  yard,  tangling  up  the  buntlines  and 
sheets." 

"  I  have  heard  that  these  fellows  intended  to  get 
even  with  me,"  added  Shuffles,  with  a  smile,  as 
though  he  had  not  much  fear  of  them. 

"  I  should  keep  the  crew  at  work  until  they  did 
their  duty.  I  would  keep  them  at  it  night  and  day, 
till  they  can  get  the  ship  under  way  without  any  con 
fusion,"  added  Paul,  earnestly. 

"  I  intend  to  do  that,  but  I  do  not  like  to  be  hard 
upon  them." 

"  There  is  no  danger  of  your  being  too  hard." 

"  Whether  I  am  hard  or  not,  I'm  going  to  have  the 
work  done  in  ship-shape  style,  if  we  drill  till  morning. 
All  hands,  furl  sails,"  said  he  to  the  first  lieutenant. 

The  boatswain's  call  sounded  through  the  ship. 
The  necessary  orders  were  given  in  detail,  and  after 
considerable  confusion,  the  sails  were  all  furled,  and 
the  ship  restored  to  its  original  condition. 

"  Pipe  to  muster,"  continued  the  captain. 

Under  this  order  all  the  officers  assembled  on  the 
quarter-deck.  Captain  Shuffles  addressed  them  in  the 
mild  tones  in  which  he  usually  spoke,  as  though  he 
was  not  seriously  disturbed  by  the  ill  conduct  of  the 
crew.  Assigning  a  lieutenant,  a  master,  and  a  mid 
shipman  to  each  mast,  he  directed  them  to  set  each 
sail  separately,  without  regard  to  others.  They  were 
to  set  the  topsails  first,  then  the  other  sails  up  to  the 
royals.  Other  officers  were  directed  to  drill  the  sea 
men  stationed  at  the  .head  sails  and  the  spanker. 

During  this  conference  Howe  and  his  associates 
were  congratulating  themselves  upon  the  success  of 


40  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

their  vicious  schemes,  and  encouraging  each  other  to 
persevere  if  another  drill  was  ordered.  They  were 
curious  to  know  what  the  captain  was  doing  with  the 
officers  on  the  quarter-deck ;  but  they  concluded  that 
it  was  only  a  meeting  to  "  howl  "  over  the  miserable 
discipline  of  the  ship.  But  their  wonderings  were 
soon  set  at  rest  by  the  boatswain's  call  of  "  All  hands, 
make  sail,  ahoy  !  " 

They  sprang  to  their  stations  as  zealously  as  though 
they  had  no  thought  but  for  the  honor  of  the  ship. 
They  soon  discovered  that  a  new  order  of  proceeding 
had  been  introduced.  The  masters  and  midshipmen 
perched  themselves  in  the  rigging,  where  they  could 
see  the  movements  of  every  seaman.  The  adult  for 
ward  officers  —  Peaks,  the  boatswain,  Bitts,  the  car 
penter,  and  Leech,  the  sailmaker  —  also  went  aloft, 
and  stationed  themselves  on  the  topmast-stays,  so  that, 
besides  the  lieutenants  on  deck,  the  commodore,  and 
the  past  officers,  there  were  three  pairs  of  sharp  eyes 
aloft  to  inspect  the  operations  on  each  sail. 

Howe  and  his  associates  were  not  a  little  discon 
certed  at  this  array  of  inspectors,  and  still  more  so 
when  the  order  was  given  to  loose  only  the  topsails. 
Peaks,  on  the  main  topmast-stay,  caught  Howe  in  the 
very  act  of  passing  the  gasket  through  the  bight  of  the 
buntline.  The  veteran  tar  came  down  upon  him  with 
such  a  torrent  of  sea  slang,  that  he  did  not  attempt  to 
repeat  the  act.  The  topsails  were  then  set  as  smartly 
and  as  regularly  as  ever  before.  After  the  inspectors 
had  seen  all  the  sails  set  and  furled  in  detail,  the  top 
sails,  top-gallant  sails,  and  courses,  with  the  jib  and 
spanker,  were  set  as  usual,  when  the  vessel  got  under 
way. 


YOUNG    AMERICA   IN    GERMANY.  41 

By  the  time  the  routine  in  detail  had  been  practised 
two  or  three  times,  the  officers  began  to  know  where 
to  look  for  the  mischief-makers.  Peaks  had  exposed 
the  ringleader,  and  the  conspirators  were  finally  beat 
en  at  their  own  game.  But  Captain  Shuffles  was  not 
satisfied ;  and  when  the  crew  were  dismissed  from 
muster,  he  hastened  to  the  main  cabin  to  consult  with 
the  principal. 

The  conspirators,  at  close  quarters,  had  lost  the  day, 
and  discipline  was  triumphant. 


42  DOWN   THE   RHINE,  OR 


CHAPTER   III. 

A   GATHERING   STORM. 

MR.  LOWINGTON,  I  should  like  to  go  to  sea 
for  a  day  or  two,"  said  Captain  Shuffles,  when 
he  had  obtained  the  ear  of  the  principal. 

"  Go  to  sea  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Lowington.  "  Why, 
I  thought  you  were  all  in  a  hurry  to  go  down  the 
Rhine." 

"  I  am  not  at  ail  satisfied  with  the  discipline  of  the 
ship,"  answered  the  new  captain.  "  It  requires  about 
as  many  officers  as  seamen  to  execute  any  manoeuvre, 
and  I  think  we  need  more  practice  in  ship's  duty  before 
we  make  any  more  tours  on 'shore." 

"  How  did  you  succeed  in  your  second  drill?" 

"  We  went  through  with  it  after  a  while  ;  but  it  was 
only  with  two  officers  in  each  top,  and  the  adult  forward 
officers  on  the  stays,  that  we  could  set  a  single  sail." 

"  Have  you  ascertained  who  is  at  the  root  of  the 
mischief?  " 

"  Howe,  for  one." 

"  The  runaways,  probably,"  added  Mr.  Lowington, 
thoughtfully. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  all  of  them  were  concerned  in  it ; 
but  at  least  half  the  crew  took  part  in  the  mischief. 
We  finally  went  through  all  the  forms  with  tolerable 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  43 

precision.  Two  or  three  days'  service  at  sea  will  en 
able  us  to  put  everything  in  good  working  order.  The 
officers  also  ought  to  have  a  little  practice  in  their  new 
stations." 

"When  do  you  wish  to  go  to  sea?" 

"  Immediately,  sir,"  replied  Shuffles. 

"To-night?" 

"  Yes,  sir.  I  think  any  delay  would  be  injurious  to 
discipline.  The  crew  have  been  hazing  the  officers 
now  for  two  hours,  and  have  had  the  best  of  it  most 
of  the  time.  If  we  went  to  sea  without  any  delay,  I 
think  it  would  be  understood." 

"You  are  right,  Captain  Shuffles.  Where  is  Com 
modore  Kendall  ?  " 

"In  the  after  cabin,  sir." 

"  Send  for  him,  if  you  please." 

The  commander  sent  one  of  the  waiters  to  call  Paul, 
who  presently  appeared. 

"  Captain  Shuffles  wishes  to  go  to  sea  to-night,"  said 
Mr.  Lowington,  with  a  smile,  as  the  young  commodore 
entered  the  cabin ;  "  and  I  think  he  takes  a  correct 
view  of  the  situation." 

"  To-night !  "  exclaimed  Paul,  whose  thought  im 
mediately  flashed  from  the  ship  to  the  Hotel  de  PEu- 
rope,  in  Havre,  where  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arbuckle  and 
Grace  were  domiciled,  having  come  down  from  Paris 
by  the  morning  train,  to  be  in  readiness  to  start  with 
the  ship's  company  for  the  Rhine. 

"  I  know  what  you  are  thinking  about,  Paul," 
laughed  the  principal.  "  You  may  go  on  shore,  and 
invite  the  Arbuckles  to  join  us ;  or,  as  we  can  work 
the  ship  very  well  without  a  commodore,  you  may 
stay  on  shore  with  them  until  our  return." 


44  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

"  Invite  them  to  go  with  us,"  suggested  Shuffles. 
"  I  think  the  presence  of  our  friends  will  have  a  good 
effect  upon  the  crew." 

"  I  should  be  very  glad  to  have  them  go  with  us/* 
replied  Paul. 

"It  is  a  little  doubtful  whether  we  return  to  Havre 
again,  for  Brest  would  be  a  better  place  for  the  vessels 
to  lie  during  our  absence  in  Germany,"  said  Mr.  Low- 
ington. 

"  We  cannot  sail  at  once  —  can  we?"  asked  Paul. 

"  We  can  get  off  this  evening,"  replied  Mr.  Low- 
ington.  "  Let  the  stewards  of  the  ship  and  the  con 
sort  go  on  shore,  and  get  a  supply  of  fresh  provisions. 
The  commodore,  in  the  mean  time,  can  wait  on  the 
Arbuckles.  I  see  no  difficulty  in  getting  off  by 
sunset." 

"  It  will  be  rather  short  notice  for  the  Arbuckles," 
suggested  Paul. 

"  They  are  ready  to  go  to  Germany  at  an  hour's  no 
tice,  and  it  will  require  no  more  preparation  for  this 
voyage.  You  can  go  on  shore  at  once,  Commodore 
Kendall.  Captain  Shuffles,  you  will  hoist  the  signal 
for  sailing ;  send  a  boat  to  the  Josephine,  and  I  will 
give  you  a  letter  for  Mr.  Fluxion." 

The  arrangement  agreed  upon,  Captain  Shuffles 
went  on  deck,  and  directed  the  first  lieutenant  to  pipe 
away  the  commodore's  barge.  The  third  lieutenant- 
was  detailed  to  serve  in  this  boat.  As  its  crew  went 
over  the  side,  Captain  Shuffles  saw  that  Howe,  Spen 
cer,  and  four  others  of  the  runaways  were  of  its  num 
ber,  under  the  new  station  bill.  This  fact  induced 
him  to  send  Peaks  with  the  lieutenant  in  charge,  so  as 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  45 

to  guard  against  any  mischief.  The  third  cutter  was 
sent  to  the  Josephine,  with  the  principal's  letter.  In 
this  boat,  Little  was  the  only  runaway.  The  first 
cutter  soon  after  left  the  ship  with  the  steward,  to 
bring  off  a  load  of  fresh  provisions. 

As  the  third  cutter  was  obliged  to  wait  for  Mr. 
Fluxion  to  write  an  answer  to  Mr.  Lowington's  letter, 
the  crew  were  allowed  to  go  on  board  of  the  Jose 
phine.  The  sight  of  the  signal  for  sailing,  which  had 
been  hoisted  on  board  of  the  Young  America,  caused 
no  little  excitement  in  the  consort,  as,  in  fact,  it  did 
on  board  of  the  ship.  It  looked  like  a  very  sudden 
movement,  for  all  were  anticipating  their  departure 
for  Germany  by  the  next  or  the  following  day.  The 
principal  had  told  them  they  would  leave  in  a  few 
days,  and  not  a  word  had  been  said  abont  going  to 
sea  in  the  interim. 

"What's  up?"  asked  Greenway,  one  of  the  run 
aways,  who  had  been  transferred  to  the  Josephine,  as 
Little  came  on  deck. 

"  I  don't  know  —  only  that  we  are  going  to  sea," 
replied  Little.  "  We  have  had  high  times  on  board 
of  the  ship." 

"  What  have  you  been  doing?" 

"  Hazing  Shuffles,"  said  Little,  in  a  whisper. 

"  And  I'll  bet  that  is  the  reason  why  we  are  going 
to  sea,  instead  of  going  to  Germany,"  answered  Green- 
way,  with  something  like  disgust  in  his  looks  and  in 
the  tones  of  his  voice. 

"No  matter;  we  have  proved  that  Shuffles  can't 
handle  the  ship.  He  had  to  call  on  old  Peaks  to  help 
him  before  he  could  get  the  main-topsail  set." 


^r 

~  Bat  if  you  play  these  games  we  shall  be  left  on 
board  while  the  rest  of  the  fellows  go  down  the 


-  •  Xot  moch  !     Fluxion  is  going  to  Marseilles  to  see 
his  grandmother,  or  somebody  else,  and  if  we  only 
make  mischief   enough,   Lowington  won't    dare  to 
leave  us  on  board.0 

Little  rrffoinfA  the  views  of  Howe,  which  he  had 
adopted  as  his  own,  to  the  effect  that  the  more  mis 
chief  they  made,  the  better  would  be  their  chances  of 
joining  the  excursion  to  Germany.  Greenway  was 
foolish  enough  to  take  the  same  view  of  the  question. 
If  the  vice-principal  was  obliged  to  go  away.  Mr. 
umington  would  not  dare  to  leave  the  runaways 
v  :-.-  i-y  :±e:  rer>:r.. 

-But  we  don't  want  to  go  to  Germany,"  added 
L  ::le. 

"Why  not?" 

~  Simply  hf^qyi*  we  have  not  been  to  Paris  and 
Switzerland,*  replied  the  little  villain,  as  he  led  his 

^     77.~  ~-7..  .7.    '.'.    I-.i    I  -  Ti  ;  _l;'..r  .    '•'•'.  ~.±~±    '.'.'.     I:.t    ~.^.'.    ;vt7- 

hear  them.  K  We  are  going  to  have  the  time  we  bar 
gained  for  when  we  sailed  in  the  Josephine.  If  we  go 
•with  the  rest  of  die  fellows,  we  m**nA  &  take  French 
leave  of  them  as  soon  as  we  find  an  opportunity  to  do 
so.  On  the  whole,  I  had  just  as  lief  stay  if  Fluxion 
is  not  to  have  the  care  of  us,  for  we  can  slip  through 
die  hands  of  any  other  man  in  the  squadron." 

-  There  is  some  money  in  Paris  waiting  for  me," 
said  Greenway. 

-  There  is  some  waiting  for  a  lot  of  our  fellows," 
replied  Little.    "I  intend  to  claim  mine  as  soon  as 
the  party  begin  to  go  down  die  Rhine." 


YOUXG   AMERICA    IX   GEKMAXT.  -' 

;i  Whar's  the  plan?  How  are  the  fellows  to  get 
off?  "  asked  Greenway. 

-  Every  one  must  manage  that  to  suit  bimsrff.    We 
had  better  go  in  little  parties  of  three  or  fear." 

"O,  no;  ifs  better  to  keep  together,"  protested 
Greenway. 

- 1  don't  think  so.  If  we  attempt  to  do  anything 
together  again,  we  shall  be  watched.  We  must  look 
out  for  our  chances." 

-  But  our  fellows  are  separated  now,  and  we  can't 
do  anything  alone." 

••  Yes,  you  can.  When  yon  see  a  good  oppuilnniij 
to  Start  for  Paris,  start.  That's  all  you  haTe  to  do." 

-I  don't  like  this  w- 

••  It's  the  best  way.  Don't  you  see  that  when  we 
are  missed  we  can  all  be  caught  in  a  bunch  again. 
If  we  go  in  a  dozen  different  squads,  they  will  barr 
to  chase  us  in  as  many  different  directions.  If  we 
start  with  the  fellows  for  Germany,  we  shall  step  ant 
as  we  have  the  chance  to  do  so.  I  don't  believe  in 
more  than  two  or  three  going  together." 

*~  But  some  of  us  may  not  hare  any  money,"  sug 
gested  Greenway. 

'•Then  they  must  borrow  some  of  those  who  hare  it-* 

*•  Lowington  got  hold  of  two  or  three  drafts,  or  biDs, 
•a*  to  the  fellows," 

"Only  two  or  three,"  replied  Lhtie,  lightly .  "Those 
fellows  can  either  borrow,  or  go  with  the  lambs." 

The  Knights  of  the  Red  Cross,  aflawaru*  of  tine 
Golden  Fleece,  had  written  to  their  iathen 
them  for  remittances  to  be  sent  to  Paris,  where, 
sailing  around  to  Marseilles  in  the  Josephine, 


48  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

going  the  rest  of  the  way  by  railroad,  they  were  to  get 
their  letters.  Most  of  their  parents  had  complied  with 
the  request,  but  two  or  three  of  them  had  taken  the 
precaution  to  inform  the  principal  of  the  fact,  and  the 
bills  had  been  cashed,  the  proceeds  being  placed  to 
the  credit  of  the  students  in  whose  favor  they  had  been 
drawn.  As  long  as  the  boys  wrote  home,  the  fathers 
and  mothers  seldom  communicated  with  the  principal. 
Most  of  the  rogues  had  been  informed  in  their  letters 
from  home  that  the  money  wanted  had  been  remitted, 
and  awaited  their  order  in  Paris.  The  runaways, 
therefore,  would  be  in  funds  sufficient  for  their  stolen 
excursion  as  soon  as  they  could  reach  their  destina 
tion.  The  only  thing  that  disturbed  them  was  the 
difficulty  of  obtaining  enough  in  the  beginning  to  pay 
their  railroad  fare  to  Paris. 

While  Little  was  instructing  Greenway  in  the  pro 
gramme  for  the  future,  the  crew  of  the  third  cutter 
were  called  away,  and  the  conference  was  abruptly 
closed.  The  purport  of  the  letter  which  the  officer  in 
charge  of  the  boat  bore  to  the  principal,  was,  that  Mr. 
Fluxion  did  not  desire  to  leave  the  consort  for  his  visit 
to  Marseilles  until  the  close  of  the  week.  Howe  was 
perhaps  nearer  the  truth  than  he  really  believed  when 
he  declared  that  Mr.  Lowington  would  not  dare  to 
leave  the  runaways  on  board  of  cither  vessel  in  charge 
of  any  other  person  than  the  vice-principal.  He  had 
been  strongly  inclined  to  grant  the  petition  of  Shuttles 
in  their  favor ;  but  when  it  was  almost  proved  that  the 
party  were  the  cause  of  all  the  confusion  which  had 
occurred  on  board  of  the  ship  during  the  afternoon, 
that  they  were  in  a  mutinous  frame  of  mind,  he  was 


YOUNG  AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  49 

not  willing  to  encourage  their  insubordination.  He 
was  much  disturbed  by  the  difficult  problem  thus 
thrust  upon  him.  Dr.  Carboy,  the  professor  of  natural 
philosophy  and  chemistry,  who  had  spent  several  years 
in  Germany,  had  volunteered  to  take  charge  of  the  run 
aways,  and  he  seemed  to  be  the  only  person  who  was 
available  for  this  duty.  He  was  no  sailor,  and  only 
a  fair  disciplinarian,  and  Mr.  Lowington  had  not  en 
tire  confidence  in  his  ability  to  manage  thirty  of  the 
wildest  boys  in  the  squadron  —  discontented  under  the 
punishment  to  which  they  were  subjected. 

Though  everything  was  orderly  on  board  of  the 
ship,  there  was  a  great  deal  of  suppressed  excitement, 
not  to  say  indignation,  for  the  crew  did  not  like  the 
idea  of  keeping  watch  and  reefing  topsails,  instead  of 
voyaging  down  the  beautiful  Rhine.  The  movement 
looked  like  a  punishment,  and  many  of  the  crew  felt 
themselves  to  be  entirely  innocent  of  the  blunders  and 
failures  made  in  handling  the  ship.  They  had  done 
their  best,  and  thought  it  was  not  fair  to  punish  the 
innocent  with  the  guilty.  Doubtless  it  was  not  fair ; 
but  it  was  a  question  which  related  to  the  discipline 
of  the  crew,  as  a  whole,  and  not  a  dozen  of  those  who 
had  made  the  mischief  could  be  identified,  even  by  the 
seamen  who  had  worked  in  the  rigging  with  them, 
much  less  by  the  officers. 

The  mischief-makers  themselves  did  all  they  could  to 
foment  this  spirit  of  discontent  among  those  who  were 
ordinarily  well  disposed.  They  assumed  the  respon 
sibility  of  declaring  that  the  trip  into  Germany  had 
been  indefinitely  postponed.  Probably,  with  the  self- 
conceit  incident  to  human  nature,  they  really  believed 
4 


50  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

they  were  no  worse  than  the  best  of  the  crew,  and  they 
desired  to  involve  all  their  shipmates  in  the  odium 
of  the  insubordination  which  had  taken  place. 

"  No  Rhine,  except  pork  rind,"  said  Little,  as  he 
met  Raymond  in  the  waist,  after  the  latter  had  ex 
pressed  his  dissatisfaction  at  the  new  order  of  things. 

"Do  you  think  so?"  asked  Raymond,  who  had 
read  enough  of  the  splendid  scenery  of  the  Rhine  to 
make  him  very  anxious  to  see  it. 

"  A  fellow  that  isn't  blind  can  see  —  can't  he?  —  if 
he  opens  his  eyes,"  demanded  Little.  "  What  did  the 
new  captain  do  this  afternoon,  the  very  minute  the 
crew  were  dismissed  from  their  stations?" 

"  I  don't  know.  What  did  he  do?"  inquired  Ray 
mond,  curiously. 

*' Didn't  he  rush  down  into  the  main  cabin?  Didn't 
he  have  a  long  talk  with  Lowington?  Then,  wasn't 
the  signal  for  sailing  hoisted  at  once  ?  I  tell  you  this 
is  all  Shuffles' s  doings." 

"  Why  should  Shuffles  want  to  go  to  sea  any  more 
than  the  rest  of  us?"  asked  Raymond. 

"  Why  should  he  ?  Isn't  he  the  captain  of  the  ship 
now  ?  Doesn't  he  want  to  try  on  his  new  authority, 
and  see  how  it  fits?  Don't  he  want  to  punish  the 
crew  because  they  didn't  drill  well  this  afternoon  ?  I 
believe  you  are  a  little  deaf  in  one  eye,  Raymond,  or 
else  you  can't  hear  in  the  other.  It's  all  as  plain  as 
the  figure-head  on  a  French  frigate,"  continued  Little, 
with  enthusiasm  enough  to  convince  any  dissatisfied 
seaman. 

"  Perhaps  it  is  as  you  say." 

"I  know  it  is." 


YOUNG    AMERICA    IN    GERMANY.  51 

"  The  drill  was  very  bad.  Every  fellow  knows 
that." 

"  What  if  it  was  ?     Whose  fault  was  it  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  whose  fault  it  was  ;  but  everything 
went  wrong,  and  I  suppose  the  new  captain  is  not  sat 
isfied  writh  the  state  of  discipline  on  board.  I  should 
not  be,  if  I  were  he." 

"  Two  of  your  little  lambs  are  cooped  up  in  their 
state-rooms  now  for  disobedience  of  orders." 

"Who  are  they?" 

"  Hunter  and  Hyde." 

"  Two  of  the  best  fellows  in  the  ship  —  never  got  a 
black  mark  in  their  lives,"  said  Raymond. 

"  O,  well !  The  new  captain  will  put  you  pious 
fellows  through  a  course  of  sprouts  that  will  open 
your  eyes.  Shuffles  is  a  liar  and  a  hypocrite.  He 
has  his  reward,  while  an  honest  fellow,  like  me,  will 
stick  to  his  bunk  in  the  steerage  till  the  end  of  the 
cruise." 

"  I  don't  believe  Shuffles  is  a  liar,  or  a  hypocrite. 
You  don't  like  him  because  he  broke  up  your  cruise 
in  the  Josephine." 

"  That's  not  the  reason.  I  am  willing  to  obey  the 
orders  of  all  the  officers,  but  I  don't  like  to  see  the 
crowd  punished  for  nothing,"  replied  Little,  leading 
the  auditor  back  to  the  original  topic." 

Raymond  was  not  yet  a  good  subject  for  the  mis 
chief-maker  to  work  upon,  though,  like  a  majority -of 
the  crew,  he  was  dissatisfied  with  the  change  in  the 
programme.  Going  to  sea  meant  strict  dicipline  ;  and 
after  making  up  their  minds  to  have  a  good  time  on 
shore,  it  was  not  pleasant  to  think  of  hard  work  and 
hard  study  for  the  next  week  or  two. 


52  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

"  There  comes  the  commodore's  barge,"  continued 
Little,  as  he  pointed  to  the  boat,  which  was  rapidly 
approaching  the  ship.  uThe  Arbuckles  are  on  board, 
with  all  their  trunks.  What  do  you  think  of  that, 
Raymond?" 

The  mischief-maker  looked  triumphant.  The  pile 
of  baggage  in  the  boat  seemed  to  furnish  sufficient 
testimony  to  clinch  the  argument  he  had  used. 

"  That  looks  like  a  long  cruise,  certainly.  I  sup 
pose  they  are  going  with  us,"  replied  Raymond,  with 
a  sorrowful  and  disappointed  look. 

"  To  be  sure  they  are.  In  my  opinion  we  are  going 
to  sail  for  Belfast,  to  convey  the  Arbuckles  home. 
You  won't  see  any  Rhine,  except  a  pork  rind,  on  this 
cruise.  If  the  fellows  have  any  spunk  at  all,  they 
won't  stand  this  thing." 

"  Stand  it !  What  can  they  do?  "  asked  Raymond, 
who  really  believed  the  crew  to  be  unfairly  treated. 

"  Don't  you  know  what  they  can  do?  Who  works 
the  ship?" 

«  We  do,  of  course." 

"  Who  would  work  her  if  we  did  not?  " 

"  Well,  I  suppose  she  would  not  be  worked  at  all," 
replied  Raymond,  smiling. 

"  Then,  if  all  the  fellows  respectfully  refuse  to  man 
the  capstan,  or  to  unloose  a  sail,  till  they  have  their 
rights,  who  will  get  the  ship  under  way?" 

"We  are  not  going  to  do  anything  of  that  sort," 
answered  Raymond,  rather  indignantly.  "  It  would 
be  mutiny." 

"  You  needn't  call  it  by  that  name,  if  you  don't 
wish  to.  Lowington  promised  the  fellows  a  trip 


, 


YOUNG  AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  53 

down  the  Rhine.  Now,  because  the  new  captain 
could  not  handle  the  ship,  we  are  to  be  sent  off  to  sea. 
If  the  fellows  had  any  grit  at  all  in  their  bones,  they 
would  show  Lowington  that  they  are  not  slaves  to 
him,  or  any  other  man." 

"  I  think  we  won't  talk  any  more  about  that,"  said 
Raymond,  as  he  moved  off,  for  the  bold  speech  of  the 
mischief-maker  alarmed  him,  and  caused  him  to  real 
ize  that  he  was  listening  to  one  of  the  ringleaders  of 
the  runaways. 

The  commodore's  barge  came  up  to  the  gangway. 
The  ladies  were  assisted  up  the  steps,  and  the  trunks 
hoisted  on  board  and  stowed  away  in  the  after  cabin. 
The  two  state-rooms,  which  had  been  built  for  the  use 
of  the  commodore  and  the  past  officers,  were  appro 
priated  to  their  use. 

If  Raymond,  and  such  as  he,  were  not  willing  to 
listen  to  the  mutinous  counsels  of  the  runaways,  he 
was  not  the  less  dissatisfied  and  discontented.  The 
arrival  of  the  Arbuckles,  with  their  baggage,  indi 
cated  that  the  trip  to  the  Rhine  had  been  abandoned. 
Perliaps  the  well-disposed  students  could  have  submit 
ted  to  this  disappointment,  if  it  had  not  been  inflicted 
upon  them  as  a  punishment.  It  seemed  to  them  that 
they  were  to  suffer  for  a  whim  of  Shuffles.  The  run 
aways  had  taken  pains  to  disseminate  this  idea  among 
the  crew,  as  they  had  also  succeeded  in  involving  the 
whole  of  them  in  the  mischief  which  induced  the  prin 
cipal  to  go  to  sea  that  night. 

All  over  the  deck  and  throughout  the  steerage,  the 
boys  were  grumbling  and  growling  like  regular  old 
salts,  whose  prerogative  it  is  to  find  fault.  When 


54  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

Howe  and  Spencer  returned  in  the  barge,  they  readily 
perceived  the  state  of  feeling  on  board.  Little  told 
them  what  he  had  said  and  done,  and  convinced  them 
that  the  whole  crew  were  ripe  for  a  strike.  The  en 
tire  ship's  company  were  discussing  their  grievances, 
and  even  a  large  portion  of  the  officers  were  dissatis 
fied.  Very  likely  the  sudden  elevation  of  Shuffles  had 
created  a  feeling  of  jealousy  in  the  minds  of  a  portion 
of  them. 

The  mischief-makers  were  prompt  in  taking  advan 
tage  of  this  state  of  feeling  in  the  crew.  They  fanned 
the  flame  of  discontent,  and  it  was  not  difficult  to  con 
vince  their  shipmates  that  they  were  very  hardly  used  ; 
that  the  new  captain  was  imposing  a  heavy  burden 
upon  them.  Some  of  the  best  disposed  of  them  were 
in  favor  of  waiting  upon  the  principal,  and  represent 
ing  their  view  of  the  case  to  him ;  but  the  more  im 
petuous  ones  laughed  at  this  plan.  Shuffles  was  the 
principal's  pet,  and  he  would  support  his  protege 
against  everybody  else  on  board.  The  students  talked 
as  boys  talk,  and  acted  as  boys  act.  At  that  moment 
Shuffles  was  the  most  unpopular  fellow  on  board,  for 
it  was  understood  that  he  had  proposed  and  advocated 
the  obnoxious  measure.  The  ship's  company  were 
wiiling  to  believe  that  Mr.  Lowington  had  yielded  his 
assent  to  please  the  new  captain,  rather  than  because 
he  deemed  it  necessary  to  go  to  sea  himself. 

By  the  time  the  first  cutter  returned,  a  large  majori 
ty  of  the  students  had  decided  that  something  should 
be  done.  They  could  not  agree  upon  the  precise  step 
to  be  taken.  Some  advocated  a  protest,  others  a  re 
spectful  refusal  to  do  duty ;  and  a  few  went  in  for  a 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN    GERMANY.  55 

square  mutiny.  The  provisions  were  transferred  from 
the  cutter  to  the  ship,  and  the  boat  was  hoisted  up 
before  the  perplexing  question  could  be  settled. 

"  After  supper,  let  every  fellow  go  to  his  mess- 
room.  Don't  answer  the  boatswain's  call  to  weigh  an 
chor,"  said  Raymond,  who  had  made  considerable 
progress  in  rebellion  since  his  conversation  with  Little. 

"  Ay,  ay  !  That's  the  talk  !  "  responded  half  a  dozr 
en  of  the  group,  who  had  been  anxiously  discussing 
the  question. 

"  No,  no  ! "  added  half  a  dozen  others. 

"Why  not?"  demanded  Raymond  of  the  oppo 
nents  of  the  plan. 

"  Because  the  Arbuckles  are  on  board,  for  one  rea 
son,  and  because  it  will  be  mutiny,  for  the  second," 
said  Tremere,  who  volunteered  to  be  spokesman  for 
the  opposition.  "  Mr.  Arbuckle  has  taken  us  through 
Switzerland,  and  paid  all  the  bills,  and  has  invited  us 
to  another  excursion  on  the  same  terms.  Now,  when 
he  comes  on  board  with  his  family,  to  take  a  little  sail 
with  us,  we  refuse  to  do  duty.  It  looks  like  contempt 
and  ingratitude  to  him." 

"  It  has  nothing  to  do  with  him,"  replied  Raymond, 
warmly.  "  Here  is  the  whole  matter  in  a  nutshell. 
Mr.  Arbuckle  invited  us  to  take  a  trip  into  Germany, 
and  Mr.  Lowington  promised  that  we  should  go. 
Then,  because  we  don't  drill  quite  as  well  as  the  new 
captain  wishes,  he  insists  upon  going  to  sea.  The 
cruise  down  the  Rhine  is  given  up,  and  we  are  to 
carry  the  Arbuckles  to  Belfast." 

"Who  says  we  are  going  to  Belfast?"  demanded 
Tremere. 


56  DOWN   THE   RHINE,   OR 

"  All  the  fellows  say  so." 

"  That  doesn't  prove  that  we  are  going  there.  I  go 
for  obeying  orders,  wherever  we  go." 

"  No,  no  ! "  replied  a  dozen  of  the  group. 

"We  don't  intend  to  do  anything  wicked,"  said  Ray 
mond.  "  When  the  boatswain  calls,  we  don't  answer 
—  that's  all.  Then  the  officers  will  want  to  know 
what  the  matter  is,  and  we  shall  have  a  chance  to  ex 
plain  our  position.  When  we  get  fair  play,  we  shall 
be  all  right,  and  return  to  duty." 

The  group  separated,  and  while  the  ship's  company 
were  waiting  for  the  supper  call,  those  in  favor  of  the 
strike  used  all  their  influence  to  carry  their  measure, 
while  those  who  were  opposed  to  it  remained  passive. 


YOUNG  AMERICA  IN  GERMANY.  57 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE   YOUNG   AMERICA   MUTINY. 

IT  was  impossible  for  the  advocates  of  the  mutiny 
to  determine  what  success  had  attended  their 
efforts,  when  the  crew  were  piped  to  supper.  Howe 
and  Little  were  delighted  to  find  the  work  in  which 
they  were  interested  progressing  so  finely.  Nearly 
the  whole  crew  were  arrayed  against  the  new  captain, 
and  in  half  an  hour  the  grand  explosion  would  take 
place.  Not  more  than  twenty  of  the  students  were 
expected  to  respond  to  the  boatswain's  call  to  get 
under  way,  and  it  would  be  impossible  to  go  to  sea. 
The  seamen  went  below  at  the  supper  call,  but  most 
of  them  were  too  much  excited  to  eat  their  usual 
allowance. 

The  officers,  who  were  to  take  their  supper  at  a 
later  hour,  were  all  on  deck.  Paul  Kendall  was 
seated  by  the  side  of  Grace  Arbuckle,  enjoying  a 
pleasant  chat,  while  her  father  and  mother  were  in 
conversation  with  the  principal.  Captain  Shuffles 
was  planking  the  deck,  apparently  engaged  in  deep 
thought.  Possibly  the  events  of  the  afternoon  dis 
turbed  him,  for  he  had  already  received  a  hint  that 
the  ship's  company  were  much  dissatisfied  at  the  idea 
of  going  to  sea.  He  could  not  see  why  they  should 


58  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

be.  If  the  crew  did  their  duty,  and  everything 
worked  well,  the  squadron  would  proceed  immedi 
ately  to  Brest,  and  the  cruise  need  not  last  more  than 
two  days.  He  knew  the  programme  himself,  but  he 
forgot  that  it  was  the  policy  of  the  principal  to  keep 
the  destination  of  the  ship  a  secret,  as  a  general  rule, 
until  she  was  out  of  sight  of  land.  The  Arbuckles 
had  brought  their  baggage  with  them,  because  the 
party  was  to  proceed  to  Brest,  and  would  not  return 
to  Havre. 

Popularity  is  certainly  a  very  insecure  possession ; 
for,  three  weeks  before,  Shuffles  had  been  the  favorite 
of  the  whole  ship's  company.  Now,  he  was  the  most 
unpopular  person  on  board  ;  partly,  it  is  true,  because 
he  was  misunderstood.  Both  officers  and  seamen 
regarded  him  as  the  cause  of  the  present  movement. 
Most  of  them  believed,  or  at  least  feared,  that  the  trip 
to  the  Rhine  had  been  abandoned,  and  that  the  new 
captain  was  responsible  for  this  change  in  the  pro 
gramme.  They  concluded  that  he  preferred  to  exer 
cise  his  new  authority,  to  roaming  on  shore,  where  he 
was,  practically,  no  more  than  any  other  student.  It 
was  true  that  Shuffles  had  suggested  to  the  principal 
the  idea  of  going  to  sea,  as  a  measure  for  perfecting 
the  discipline  of  the  crew.  Mr.  Lowington  had  per 
mitted  the  captain  to  fight  his  own  battle  with  the 
crew,  and  he  fully  believed  that  a  little  sea  service 
was  necessary,  after  the  disorder  and  insubordination 
which  had  prevailed  in  the  ship  during  the  drill. 
Some  of  those  who  complained  the  loudest  had  per 
mitted  their  love  of  fun  to  get  the  better  of  their  dis 
cretion,  and  had  joined  in  the  disorder  which  prevailed 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN    GERMANY.  59 

during  'the  drill.  Many  well-disposed  boys,  had  as 
sisted  the  conspirators  against  the  peace  of  the  ship 
by  joining  in  what  appeared  to  them  to  be  but  a  mere 
frolic,  while  it  was,  in  fact,  an  organized  attempt  to 
make  mischief.  They  had  encouraged  the  spirit  of 
insubordination,  without  supposing  they  were  engaged 
in  anything  more  than  a  mere  lark,  involuntary  on 
their  part,  and  suggested  only  by  the  circumstances  of 
the  moment. 

From  the  captain's  stand-point,  the  confusion  had  a 
very  grave  aspect ;  while  from  that  of  the  seamen,  it 
was  a  matter  of  trivial  consequence.  The  commander 
was  mortified  to  find  the  discipline  so  weak ;  and  he 
could  have  no  confidence  in  himself  or  his  crew 
until  his  orders  were  promptly  obeyed.  He  was 
thinking  only  of  the  welfare  of  the  ship  and  her  crew. 
He  had  no  intention  of  punishing  the  students,  when 
he  suggested  the  plan  of  going  to  sea,  —  only  of  per 
fecting  the  discipline.  It  seemed  to  him  just  as  though 
three  weeks  on  shore  had  demoralized  the  ship's  com 
pany.  Though  he  was  now  aware  that  the  runaways 
had  done  what  they  could  to  make  trouble,  the  confu 
sion  seemed  to  be  too  extensive  to  be  accounted  for  by 
their  agency.  Two  of  the  best  boys  on  board  had 
been  sent  to  the  mainmast  for  disobedience ;  and  it 
was  clear  that  the  runaways  had  not  produced  all  the 
trouble. 

The  commodore  fully  sustained  him,  and  believed 
that  it  was  best  for  the  ship  to  go  to  sea.  If  the  stu 
dents  had  forgotten  the  ropes,  or  were  so  much  em 
barrassed  in  their  new  stations,  that  they  could  not  set 
a  sail  or  get  up  the  anchor  without  making  a  mess  of 


60  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

it,  the  ship  ought  to  go  to  sea.  On  the  return  of  the 
excursionists  from  Germany,  it  might  be  necessary  to 
put  to  sea  without  an  hour's  delay,  as  the  principal 
had  suggested.  Shipwreck  and  disaster  might  follow 
if  the  crew  were  not  in  working  order.  It  was  a  plain 
case  to  the  captain. 

Paul  Kendall  had  explained  the  situation  to  the  Ar- 
buckles  as  mildly  as  he  could.  He  had  told  them  that 
the  seamen  were  a  little  disorderly,  and  that  it  was 
necessary  to  have  them  in  perfect  discipline  before 
they  went  to  Germany.  Without  intending  to  do  so, 
he  had  produced  the  impression  on  their  minds,  that 
the  trip  would  be  given  up  unless  the  boys  performed 
their  duty  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  principal. 
In  talking  with  the  officers,  they  had  expressed  their  fear 
that  the  proposed  excursion  would  not  take  place. 
Perhaps  the  guests  were  not  far  from  right ;  for  cer 
tainly  the  students  would  not  be  allowed  to  step  on 
shore  if  the  discipline  of  the  ship  was  not  satisfactory. 
Miss  Grace  was  sadly  disturbed  at  the  thought  of 
depriving  the  students  of  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the 
Rhine,  its  wonders  and  its  beauties. 

"  Why,  I  thought  your  crew  were  in  perfect  disci 
pline,  Captain  —  no,  I  mean  Commedore  —  Kendall," 
said  she,  as  they  sat  upon  the  quarter-deck,  discussing 
the  great  question  of  the  hour. 

"  They  are,  generally,"  replied  Paul.  "  But  you 
know  we  are  a  little  world  by  ourselves,  and  we  have 
our  troubles  just  like  other  people.  It  will  be  all  right, 
I  hope,  in  a  day  or  two.  The  students  get  a  little 
wild  sometimes." 

"  Captain  Shuffles  is  such  a  noble  fellow,  I  should 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  6 1 

think  they  would  all  wish  to  do  their  best.     I'm  sure 
I  should,  if  I  were  a  sailor  in  your  ship." 

"  Shuffles  is  a  capital  fellow,"  added  Paul,  who  was 
certainly  more  pleased  to  praise  the  commander  him 
self,  than  to  have  his  fair  companion  do  so. 

"  I  shall  never  forget  his  noble  conduct  on  that  ter 
rible  night  when  the  steamer  was  burned,"  said  Grace, 
warmly.  « 

"  Probably  none  of  us  will  ever  forget  it.  But  I 
am  sorry  to  say  that  there  is  a  great  deal  of  dissatis 
faction  with  the  new  captain,  just  now,  even  among 
the  officers,"  added  Paul. 

"  I'm  very  sorry." 

"  But  it  is  not  his  fault ;  really  it  is  not,"  continued 
Paul,  fearing  that  he  had  said  too  much. 

"  I'm  sure  it  is  not,"  protested  Grace.  "  I  wonder 
if  I  have  any  influence  with  the  officers." 

"  I  think  you  have  :  indeed,  I  know  you  have  with 
one  of  them,"  replied  Paul ;  but  he  began  to  choke 
before  he  had  uttered  the  last  clause  of  the  sentence. 

"  With  one  of  them  ?  " 

"  Yes,  with  all  of  them  ;  but  perhaps  more  with 
one  than  with  others,"  stammered  Paul,  studying  the 
seams  in  the  quarter-decks. 

"  Who  is  he,  pray?  "  asked  Grace,  rather  timidly. 

"  With  the  commodore,"  answered  he,  desperately. 

"  Thank  you,  Commodore  Kendall.  Then  we  will 
both  use  our  influence  to  have  the  captain  set  right 
with  the  officers  and  the  crew." 

"  Well,  it  is  not  exactly  the  right  thing  for  so  digni 
fied  a  personage  as  the  commodore  to  persuade  his  in 
feriors  that  his  views  are  correct.  He  issues  orders, 


62  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

and  others  obey  them,"  laughed  Paul.  "  But  really 
I  cannot,  in  courtesy,  meddle  with  the  discipline  of  the 
ship." 

"  I'm  going  to  meddle  with  it,  if  I  can  do  anything 
to  set  Captain  Shuffles  right,"  said  Grace,  who  was 
very  confident  that  it  was  quite  impossible  for  her 
noble  preserver  to  do,  or  even  think,  anything  wrong. 

"  The  officers  will  do  their  duty,  whatever  they 
think,"  added  Paul.  "  In  due  time  they  will  be  sat 
isfied  that  the  captain  is  right.  I  fully  agree  with  him, 
and  think  that  the  ship  ought  to  go  to  sea." 

"  Of  course,  I  expect  to  find  you  on  the  right  side, 
Commodore  Kendall,"  said  Grace. 

"  Certainly  I'm  always  on  your  side,"  he  replied, 
becoming  astonishingly  bold  for  him. 

"  Then  we  are  both  on  Captain  Shuffles's  side. 
Who  is  the  officer  standing  near  us?" 

It  happened  to  be  Master  Perth  ;  and  Miss  Arbuckle 
called  him,  intent  upon  finding  some  one  who  was  not 
on  the  captain's  side.  Paul,  however,  did  not  think 
it  was  in  accordance  with  the  dignity  of  the  commo 
dore  of  the  squadron  to  listen  to  any  criticism  of  the 
captain's  action,  and  he  reluctantly  left  the  pleasant 
seat  he  occupied  by  the  side  of  the  young  lady.  If 
there  was  any  one  on  board  who  hated  Shuffles,  Perth 
was  he. 

"  I  wanted  to  get  acquainted  with  you,  Mr.  Perth  ; 
for  it  seems  to  me  I  have  not  met  you  before,"  she 
began. 

"  Probably  not,  Miss  Arbuckle,  for  I  was  not  one 
of  the  party  who  went  to  Paris  and  Switzerland  with 
you,"  replied  the  second  master. 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN    GERMANY.  63 

u  Indeed  !  "  exclaimed  she,  understanding,  without 
further  explanation,  why  he  was  not  one  of  the  party, 
and  that  he  was  one  of  the  runaways,  though  she  could 
not  exactly  comprehend  how  he  happened  to  be  an 
officer  if  he  had  been  a  rebel. 

"  I  had  the  honor  to  command  the  Josephine  during 
a  portion  of  the  time  the  ship's  company  were  absent," 
laughed  he,  with  anything  but  penitence  for  his  past 
offences. 

"  I  am  very  sorry  you  were  not  with  the  others." 

"  So  am  I,  for  one  reason  —  it  deprived  me  of  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  your  pretty  face  for  three  or  four 
weeks,"  said  Perth,  lightly. 

t;  Perhaps  I  shall  change  my  mind  if  I  find  your 
absence  saved  me  from  such  annoyance  as  I  feel  at 
the  present  moment,"  replied  Grace,  blushing,  and 
looking  much  displeased. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon !  I  meant  no  offence,"  stam 
mered  Perth. 

Grace  smiled  again ;  for  she  did  not  believe  he 
would  again  venture  to  indulge  in  an  impudent  com 
pliment. 

"  I  am  very  sorry  to  learn  from  what  you  say  that 
you  were  one  of  the  runaways,"  she  continued. 

"  I  was  one  of  them  —  I  may  say  that  I  was  the 
chief  of  them,"  replied  Perth,  without  a  blush. 

"  Of  course  you  are  very  sorry  for  it,  and  very  glad 
that  Captain  Shuffles  brought  you  back." 

"  That's  an  open  question,"  laughed  Perth.  "  I 
don't  think  Shuffles  made  much  by  what  he  did.  I 
don't  believe  any  fellow  makes  anything  by  being  a 
hypocrite,  and  selling  out  his  friends." 


64  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

"  I  don't  think  so,  either.  But  you  certainly  cannot 
mean  to  say  that  Captain  Shuffles  is  a  hypocrite,  or 
that  he  ever  betrayed  his  friends?" 

"  I  suppose  I  ought  not  to  say  anything  to  you  about 
it,  knowing  that  he  is  a  strong  friend  of  yours." 

"Whatever  you  say,  Mr.  Perth,  shall  not  be  re 
peated.  I  have  been  told  that  some  of  the  officers  are 
opposed  to  the  new  captain  ;  and  I  do  not  see  how  it 
can  be  true,  when  he  is  so  noble  and  good." 

"  Noble  and  good  !  "  ejaculated  Perth. 

"  Certainly.  You  know  what  he  did  for  me  on  the 
night  the  steamer  was  burned." 

"  There  isn't  a  fellow  on  board  that  would  not  have 
given  all  he  had  for  a  chance  to  do  the  same  thing  for 
you,"  protested  Perth. 

"  But  all  the  students  like  him." 

"  I  don't  believe  he  has  twenty  friends  in  the  ship." 

"  Then  they  do  not  know  him  as  I  do,"  replied 
Grace,  indignantly. 

"  They  know  him  better  than  you  do.  He's  smart, 
and  a  good  officer  ;  but  when  you  have  said  that,  you 
have  said  all  that  can  be  said,"  continued  Perth,  bluntly. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  hear  you  say  so,"  added  Grace,  really 
grieved,  even  while  she  ,was  incredulous.  "  I  am 
afraid  you  are  prejudiced  against  him  because  he 
broke  up  your  plan  to  run  away  with  the  Josephine." 

"  He  didn't  break  it  up.  Our  fellows  disagreed 
among  themselves ;  that's  the  reason  why  we  had  to 
come  back,"  explained  Perth,  whose  pride  did  not  per 
mit  him  to  acknowledge  that  he  had  been  beaten  by 
the  superior  skill  and  energy  of  Shuffles.  "  Now,  all 
the  fellows  are  on  the  very  verge  of  mutiny,  because 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  65 

he  insists  upon  taking  the  ship  to  sea,  instead  of  going 
down  the  Rhine." 

"  I'm  sure  he  is  doing  no  more  than  his  duty,"  per 
sisted  Grace,  stoutly.  "  It  appears  that  Mr.  Lowington 
thinks  he  is  right,  or  he  would  not  send  the  ship  to 
sea.  I  am  really  sorry  to  hear  you  speak  so  unkind 
ly  of  your  captain,  for  I  must  say  that  I  cannot  believe 
a  word  you  say  about  him." 

"  Thank  you,"  replied  Perth,  dryly. 

"  I  think  you  are  sincere  in  your  belief,"  added  she. 
"  Paul  Kendall  says  that  the  captain  is  right." 

"  Well,  he  is  commodore,  you  know,  and  must  be 
lieve  everything  the  principal  says,"  laughed  Perth. 
"  It  is  not  quite  proper  for  any  of  us  to  have  opinions 
of  our  own,  but  you  see  some  of  us  have  them." 

Perth  was  certainly  good-natured,  whatever  else  he 
was,  and  as  Grace  said  no  more,  he  touched  his  cap, 
and  passed  on.  The  devoted  admirer  of  Shuffles's  no 
bleness  and  goodness  was  greatly  disconcerted  by  the 
blunt  statements  of  the  second  master,  who  had  de 
clared  that  the  ship's  company  were  almost  in  a  state 
of  mutiny  against  the  captain.  She  continued  her 
inquiries  among  other  officers ;  but,  though  some  of 
them  thought  it  was  quite  unnecessary  to  go  to  sea,  they 
all  spoke  very  handsomely  of  Shuffles.  It  was  plain 
enough  that  Perth  had  injured  himself  more  than  the 
object  of  his  calumny,  by  what  he  had  said. 

"Are  you  ready  to  go  to  sea,  Miss  Arbuckle?" 
asked  the  captain,  as  he  came  on  deck,  and  touched 
his  cap  to  her. 

"  I  am  quite  ready ;  indeed,  I  am  afraid  I  am  more 
ready  than  many  others  on  board  of  this  ship,"  she  re- 
5 


66  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

plied.  "  I  am  sorry  to  hear  that  some  of  the  officers 
and  seamen  are  very  much  displeased  at  the  idea  of 
going  to  sea." 

'"  So  far  as  the  seamen  are  concerned,  it  is  their  own 
fault,  for  they  have  not  done  their  duty,"  added  the 
captain. 

"  Not  the  fault  of  all  of  them,  I  hope." 

"  Not  all,  certainly ;  but  if  they  don't  know  their 
stations,  they  must  learn  them.  If  you  are  all  ready 
to  go,  I  think  we  will  be  off,"  said  Shuffles,  as  he 
glanced  at  his  watch.  "  You  will  get  the  ship  under 
way,  if  you  please,  Mr.  Goodwin,"  he  added,  address 
ing  the  first  lieutenant,  who  was  standing  near  him. 

"  I  really  hope  there  will  be  no  trouble,  Captain 
Shuffles,"  continued  Grace. 

"  There  can  be  no  trouble.  All  sailors  grumble,  you 
know,  Miss  Arbuckle,  and  our  boys  imitate  their  elders 
in  this  respect.  They  will  growl  for  a  while,  but  just 
as  soon  as  they  work  the  ship  with  skill  and  prompt 
ness,  we  shall  put  into  Brest,  and  make  our  trip  down 
the  Rhine.  I  think  we  shall  not  be  at  sea  beyond  a 
couple  of  days." 

"  I  hope  not,  for  the  sake  of  the  crew." 

"  All  hands,  weigh  anchor,  ahoy  !  "  shouted  the  boat 
swain,  as  his  sharp  pipe  rang  through  the  ship. 

Less  than  thirty  of  the  seamen  answered  to  the  call, 
and  it  was  apparent  that  a  very  large  majority  of  them 
had  chosen  to  follow  the  evil  counsels  of  the  runaways, 
or  the  foolish  counsels  of  other  discontented  spirits. 
It  was  the  first  time  since  the  ship  went  into  commis 
sion  that  any  considerable  number  of  th'e  crew  had 
failed  to  respond  to  the  call.  Shuffles  was  confounded, 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  / 

and  the  first  lieutenant  actually  turned  pale.  It  looked 
like  such  a  mutiny  as  the  Chain  League  had  planned. 

u  Pipe  again,"  said  Shuffles,  as  quietly  as  he  could. 

Again  the  boatswain  sounded  the  call,  and  re 
peated  the  order,  but  with  no  better  success  than 
before.  Not  another  seaman  appeared  upon  deck. 

"  What  does  this  mean  ? "  said  the  commodore  to 
the  captain. 

"  As  near  as  I  can  interpret  it,  the  greater  part  of 
the  crew  do  not  intend  to  obey  orders,"  replied  Shuffles. 

"  It  certainly  looks  so." 

"  Mr.  Goodwin,  will  you  inquire  of  those  who 
obeyed  the  order,  whether  their  shipmates  heard  the 
call  ? "  continued  the  captain,  laboring  very  hard  to 
appear  cool  and  collected,  as  a  commander  ought  to 
be  in  every  emergency. 

Paul  Kendall's  curiosity  prompted  him  to  follow  the 
executive  officer  to  the  waist,  where  the  seamen  who 
had  obeyed  the  call  were  waiting  for  orders.  He 
was  unwilling  to  believe  the  evidence  of  his  senses, 
though  he  knew  that  there  was  considerable  disaffec 
tion  on  board. 

"Did  the  rest  of  the  crew  hear  the  boatswain's 
pipe  ?  "  asked  Goodwin  of  the  faithful  few. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  Tremere. 

"Where  are  they  now?" 

"  In  the  mess-rooms." 

"  Why  don't  they  obey?" 

"  They  say  they  don't  want  to  go  to  sea :  they  say 
they  haven't  done  anything  to  deserve  punishment,  and 
they  object  to  being  punished,"  replied  the  spokesman. 

"What  do  they  mean  by  being  punished?"  asked 
the  commodore. 


68  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

"  Sent  to  sea.     Mr.  Lowington  promised  us  a  trip 

down  the  Rhine ;  and  now  that  excursion  is  given  up. 

The  fellows  say  the  ship  is  bound  to  Belfast,  to  convey 

the   Arbuckles  home. '    They  say  they  are  willing  to 

-do  their  duty,  if  they  can  have  fair  play." 

"What  do  the  seamen  intend  to  do?"  asked  Paul. 

"  Nothing,  sir.  They  say  they  will  give  their  rea 
sons  when  called  upon." 

"  Probably  they  will,  when  called  upon,"  said  Paul, 
who  had  very  high  ideas  of  discipline. 

The  executive  officer  returned,  and  explained  the 
situation  to  the  captain.  It  was  impossible  to  get  the 
ship  under  way  with  less  than  thirty  seamen,  and  he 
felt  that  his  powers  were  exhausted.  Fortunately, 
Mr.  Lowington,  who  had  heard  the  boatswain's  pipe, 
came  on  deck  at  this  critical  moment. 

"Didn't  I  hear  the  boatswain's  pipe?"  asked  the 
principal,  surprised  to  find  only  a  few  hands  in  the 
waist. 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  we  have  called  all  hands  twice,  and  only 
about  thirty  answer  the  call." 

"  It  was  a  mistake  to  call  more  than  once,"  replied 
Mr.  Lowington,  who  did  not  seem  to  be  taken  aback 
by  the  astounding  intelligence.  "  What's  the  matter?  " 

The  captain  explained,  reporting  the  statements 
made  by  the  faithful  ones  in  the  waist. 

"  A  mutiny,  then  —  is  it?  "  added  the  principal,  with 
a  smile.  "  Well,  I  am  glad  it  is  no  worse." 

"  The  mutineers  are  willing  to  explain,  when  called 
upon  for  an  explanation,"  added  Paul,  who  was  in 
dignant  at  the  conduct  of  the  malcontents. 

"We  don't  usually  call    for  explanations  in  such 


YOUNG  AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  69 

cases  on  board  ship,"  said  the  principal.  "  It  is  plain 
enough  that  this  is  only  a  second  edition  of  the  con 
fusion  of  this  afternoon.  The  young  gentlemen  have 
been  listening  to  evil  advice." 

"What  shall  be  done,  sir?"  inquired  the  captain, 
rather  nervously,  in  spite  of  his  laborious  efforts  to 
keep  cool. 

"  Mutiny  is  mutiny,"  replied  the  principal ;  "  but  in 
this  case,  I  think  we  need  not  treat  it  with  the  severity 
which  prevails  in  the  navy.  The  students  below  say, 
and  probably  believe,  that  the  excursion  to  the  Rhine 
has  been  abandoned,  and  that  the  ship  is  bound  to 
Belfast.  Though  they  are  mistaken,  we  can  only  tell 
them  so  when  they  return  to  their  duty.  We  will  go 
to  sea,  as  we  intended." 

"  How  can  we  go  to  sea  with  a  crew  of  less  than 
thirty?"  asked  Shuffles. 

"  Keep  perfectly  calm,  Captain  Shuffles.  I  am 
willing  to  grant  that,  in  a  man-of-war,  with  men  in  a 
state  of  mutiny,  the  case  would  be  a  very  serious  one. 
I  do  not  so  regard  it  in  the  present  instance,  but  we 
will  profit  by  the  lesson  it  may  teach.  For  an  officer 
to  permit  a  sailor  to  see  that  he  is  disconcerted  is 
yielding  too  much.  Therefore,  young  gentlemen,  I 
wish  you  all  to  be  perfectly  composed,  whatever  hap 
pens.  This  affair  is  rather  ludicrous  than  otherwise, 
since  the  mutineers  declare  that  they  are  ready  to  ex 
plain  when  called  upon  to  do  so,  which  is  very  kind 
and  condescending  on  their  part,"  the  principal  pro 
ceeded,  addressing  the  officers  who  had  gathered 
around  him  for  the  solution  of  what  seemed  to  them 
a  very  difficult  and  trying  problem. 


70  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

But  they  were  not  permitted  to  hear  the  solution,  for 
the  principal  invited  the  commodore  and  the  captain 
into  the  main  cabin,  to  discuss  the  matter,  desiring, 
even  in  the  present  embarrassing  situation,  to  have 
everything  done  in  accordance  with  his  ideas  of  disci 
pline.  He  meant  that  the  captain  should  be  the  ap 
parent,  if  he  could  not  be  the  real,  manager  of  the 
difficult  affair. 

"  How  many  hands  responded  to  the  boatswain's 
call?"  asked  the  principal,  when  the  party  were 
seated. 

"  Less  than  thirty,"  answered  Shuffles. 

"  Twenty-eight.  I  had  the  curiosity  to  count  them," 
interposed  Paul. 

"  Twenty-eight,"  repeated  the  principal.  "  Very 
well ;  we  can  —  " 

"  I  hope  you  will  excuse  me,  sir,"  said  Shuffles,  in 
terrupting  him.  "  If  this  state  of  thing  is  caused  by 
any  dislike  to  me,  sir,  I  am  willing  to  resign." 

"  So  far  as  I  know,  you  have  done  your  duty,  Shuf 
fles  ;  and  to  permit  you  to  resign  would  be  to  abandon 
the  plan  of  the  Academy  Ship,  and  acknowledge  that 
discipline  is  an  impracticable  thing.  You  cannot 
resign." 

"  Many  of  the  fellows  dislike  me,"  added  the 
captain. 

"  That  is  not  your  fault,  as  I  understand  the  matter. 
That  the  runaways,  who,  I  suspect,  are  at  the  root  of 
this  mischief,  should  be  prejudiced  against  you,  was 
to  be  expected.  If  others  are  also,  it  is  because  they 
are  misinformed.  You  can  afford  to  wait  till  time 
justifies  your  good  intentions." 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  7! 

"  I  am  willing  to  own  that  I  have  no  desire  to  re 
sign.  I  like  the  place,  but  I  am  willing  to  sacrifice 
my  own  wishes  for  the  peace  of  the  ship." 

"  Peace  is  not  to  be  bought  on  any  such  terms.  Say 
nothing  more  about  resigning.  Twenty-eight  hands, 
you  say,  are  ready  to  obey  orders." 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  On  an  emergency,  the  captain  and  four  lieuten 
ants  can  officer  the  ship.  Masters,  midshipmen,  and 
pursers  must  do  duty  as  seamen.  They  will  gladly 
consent  to  do  so.  Let  it  be  voluntary  on  their  part. 
How  many  will  that  make?" 

"  Thirty-eight." 

"Peaks,  Bitts,  and  Leach  will  make  forty-one. 
The  Josephine  is  fully  manned,  and  can  spare  us  nine 
more.  That  will  make  fifty.  If  we  lay  aside  the 
school  work,  we  can  sail  the  ship  round  the  world 
with  that  number." 

Shuffles  displayed  a  smile  of  satisfaction  at  this  so 
lution. 

"  But  we  will  procure  the  services  of  a  tug-boat  to 
tow  us  to  sea,  so  that  there  will  no  hard  work  in  get 
ting  clear  of  the  harbor,"  added  the  principal.  "  Send 
Leavitt  in  the  second  cutter  to  the  Josephine  for  the 
extra  hands,  and  let  Foster  go  in  the  third  for  one  of 
the  steam-tugs  up  by  the  jetties.  Above  all  things, 
Captain  Shuffles,  do  not  mention  your  plans  to  any 
person." 

"  I  will  not,  sir,"  replied  Shuffles,  as  he  hastened 
on  deck  to  put  in  force  the  solution  of  the  problem. 

"What  is  to  be  the  result  of  this,  Mr.  Lowington?" 
asked  Paul. 


72  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

"  I  don't  know  —  nothing  serious,  however.  The 
young  gentlemen  are  waiting  very  impatiently  in  their 
mess-rooms  to  be  called  and  asked  for  the  explana 
tion,  which  I  doubt  not  is  a  very  plausible  one.  Let 
them  wait/*  continued  the  principal,  leading  the  way 
to  the  deck,  where  he  sat  down  with  the  Arbuckles, 
and  was  soon  busy  in  conversation  with  them,  as 
though  nothing  had  happened. 


YOUNG  AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  73 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    ORDER    OF   THE    FAITHFUL. 

THE  appearance  of  Captain  Shuffles  on  deck  pro 
duced  a  decided  sensation  among  the  officers, 
some  of  whom  believed  that  the  mutineers  would  be 
dragged  from  the  mess-rooms  by  the  adult  forward 
officers,  and  tied  up  to  the  rigging.  The  decided 
character  of  the  principal  certainly  pointed  to  the 
most  decided  measures.  Something  terrible  was  to 
be  expected,  and  the  young  gentlemen  were  aston 
ished  when  Mr.  Lowington  came  on  deck,  immedi 
ately  after  the  captain,  seated  himself  with  the  Arbuc- 
kles,  and  began  to  converse  with  them  as  pleasantly 
as  though  no  mutiny  had  ever  been  dreamed  of. 

The  captain  called  the  officers  around  him,  and  all 
of  them  eagerly  obeyed  the  summons. 

"  We  are  going  to  sea  immediately,"  said  he,  with 
none  of  the  anxiety  which  was  visible  in  his  face  be 
fore.  "As  we  are  short-handed,  I  have  a  favor  to 
ask.  Those  below  the  rank  of  lieutenant,  who  are 
willing  to  serve  as  seamen  until  the  discipline  of  the 
ship  can  be  restored,  will  signify  it  by  walking  over 
to  the  starboard  side." 

All  below  the  grade  indicated,  with  a  single  excep 
tion,  promptly  marched  over  to  the  other  side  of  the 


74  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

ship.  The  four  lieutenants  stepped  out  of  the  way, 
so  that  the  single  dissenter  might  stand  alone.  It  is 
hardly  necessary  to  say  that  Perth  was  the  person 
who  was  so  largely  in  the  minority  among  the  officers. 

"You  decline  to  serve  with  the  other  masters?" 
said  Shuffles. 

"  I  prefer  to  be  excused.  I  have  had  considerable 
experience  as  a  seaman,  and  would  like  a  little  more 
as  an  officer,"  replied  Perth,  politely. 

"We  shall  dispense  with  the  services  of  all  the 
officers  except  the  lieutenants,"  added  the  captain. 
"  There  will  be  nothing  for  you  to  do,  but  you  shall 
not  be  compelled  to  serve  as  a  seaman." 

"  Permit  me  to  take  his  place,"  interposed  Gordon, 
the  senior  past  officer. 

"  Thank  you,  Gordon,"  replied  Shuffles. 

"  Please  enroll  me  also  as  a  seaman,"  added  Haven, 
good-naturedly. 

"  And  me  also,"  laughed  Paul. 

"  I  suggest  that  the  past  officers  take  the  places  of 
the  second,  third,  and  fourth  lieutenants,  who  shall  do 
duty  as  seamen,"  said  Leavitt,  the  second  officer. 

"  By  all  means,"  added  Foster,  the  third. 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  followed  Prescott,  the  fourth. 

The  captain  adopted  this  suggestion,  and  Gordon, 
as  second  lieutenant,  was  sent  off  to  the  Josephine  in 
the  second  cutter,  which  was  pulled  by  three  masters 
and  the  three  midshipmen.  When  it  was  ready  to 
leave,  Mr.  Lowington  stepped  into  the  boat,  for  he 
desired  to  satisfy  himself  that  the  crew  of  the  consort 
were  not  also  demoralized.  Haven  in  the  third  cut 
ter,  with  a  volunteer  crew,  left  the  ship  to  procure  a 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  75 

tug-steamer.  Peaks,  Bitts,  Leach,  and  the  head  stew 
ard  had  been  privately  requested  to  be  on  deck,  in 
case  any  unexpected  demonstration  was  made  by  the 
mutineers. 

In  the  steerage  everything  was  very  quiet.  The 
sensation  below  was  decidedly  superior  to  that  on 
deck.  The  rebels  were  patiently  waiting  to  be  called 
upon  for  an  explanation  of  their  remarkable  conduct. 
Probably  none  of  them  even  noticed  that  the  grating 
had  been  put  upon  the  main  hatch  by  the  cautious 
Peaks,  to  prevent  them  from  leaving  the  steerage. 
The  boatswain's  call  had  sounded  twice,  and  they 
supposed  the  faculty  of  the  Acadenvy  were  consulting 
upon  the  proper  measures  to  be  taken.  Most  of  them 
believed  that  they  would  be  invited  on  deck,  where 
the  principal  would  "preach"  to  them,  as  usual,  and 
thus  afford  them  an  opportunity  to  state  their  griev 
ances.  Perhaps,  with  the  exception  of  the  runaways, 
they  were  willing  to  return  to  their  duty  after  they 
had  recorded  their  protest.  The  principal  still  pur 
posed  to  let  them  wait. 

The  third  cutter,  all  of  whose  volunteer  crew  wore 
shoulder-straps,  came  up  to  the  gangway  of  the  Jose 
phine,  which,  like  the  ship,  was  all  ready  to  weigh 
anchor. 

"You  come  with  a  very  nobby  crew,"  said  Mr. 
Fluxion,  as  the  principal  stepped  upon  the  deck  of 
the  consort. 

"  The  ship  is  in  a  state  of  mutiny,"  replied  Mr. 
Lowington,  with  a  smile  upon  his  face,  which  sof 
tened  the  astounding  declaration. 

Mutiny  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Fluxion. 


76  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

"  Precisely  so.  We  called  all  hands  to  weigh  anchor, 
and  less  than  thirty  answered  to  the  summons.  We 
learned  from  them  that  the  rest  of  the  crew  refused 
to  do  duty  till  their  grievances  were  heard.  Do  you 
know  of  anything  of  this  kind  on  board  of  your 
vessel?" 

"  We  haven't  called  all  hands  yet,  for  we  don't  be 
gin  to  get  under  way  till  the  ship  mans  the  capstan. 
It  is  possible  that  we  shall  have  the  same  difficulty." 

"  Let  your  captain  get  under  way  at  once,  for  the 
ship  will  be  towed  out.  If  your  crew  is  all  right,  I 
should  like  to  transfer  a  few  seamen  to  the  ship,  for 
we  are  rather  short-handed,"  added  the  principal. 

Mr.  Fluxion  called  Captain  Terrill,  and  the  order 
was  given  to  pipe  all  hands.  As  the  boatswain's 
whistle  sounded,  the  principal  and  the  vice-principal 
descended  to  the  cabin.  Mr.  Lowington  had  begun 
to  explain  his  method  of  dealing  with  the  difficulty, 
when  a  messenger  from  the  captain  reported  that 
twelve  seamen  refused  to  answer  the  summons. 

"  Ascertain  who  they  are,  and  get  under  way 
without  disturbing  them,"  said  the  principal,  after 
the  messenger  had  retired. 

"  That's  a  novel  way  to-deal  with  a  mutiny,"  added 
Mr.  Fluxion,  who  was  always  in  favor  of  decisive 
measures. 

Mr.  Lowington  stated  liis  views  fully,  and  explained 
his  plan.  Though  the  vice-principal  did  not  agree 
with  him  in  regard  to  his  corrective  measures,  he 
consented  to  adopt  them.  When  they  went  on  deck, 
the  captain  handed  Mr.  Fluxion  a  list  of  the  names 
of  the  Josephine's  mutineers.  They  were  the  twelve 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  77 

runaways  who  had  been  transferred  to  the  consort. 
Little  had  succeeded  in  inducing  them  to  engage  in 
the  plot,  but  the  rest  of  the  crew  would  not  follow 
their  vicious  example,  even  with  the  assurance  that 
the  mutiny  was  general  on  board  of  the  ship.  Under 
these  circumstances,  none  of  the  crew  of  the  Josephine 
could  be  spared  for  service  in  the  Young  America, 
and  the  boat  returned  without  them.  The  principal 
decided  that  the  ship  could  be  handled  with  the  avail 
able  force,  which  might  include  a  portion  of  the  cooks 
and  stewards,  some  of  whom  were  sailors. 

The  tug-boat  had  come  alongside  when  the  cutter 
reached  the  ship.  In  order  to  give  any  rebel,  who  had 
repented,  an  opportunity  to  return  to  his  duty,  the 
grating  was  removed  from  the  main  hatch,  and  the 
boatswain  again  called  all  hands  to  weigh  anchor. 
Only  two  of  them,  however,  answered  the  call.  The 
capstan  was  manned  by  the  faithful  thirty,  reenforced 
by  the  officers  and  the  men  on  board.  A  long  hawser 
had  been  passed  from  the  bow  to  the  steamer,  and  as 
soon  as  the  anchor  was  up  to  the  hawse-hole,  the  sig 
nal  was  given  to  go  ahead.  The  Josephine  followed 
as  promptly  as  though  every  seaman  on  board  per 
formed  his  duty,  though  the  sails  were  not  set  with 
the  usual  precision.  The  little  squadron  went  off  to 
the  north-west,  carrying  its  double  mutiny  with  it. 

As  soon  as  the  ship  began  to  move,  after  the  anchor 
was  secured,  the  officers  devoted  themselves  to  the 
duty  of  stationing  the  crew.  They  were  divided  into 
two  watches,  and  their  places  for  making  and  taking 
in  sail,  reefing  and  tacking,  were  assigned  to  them. 
As  the  officers  who  had  volunteered  to  serve  before 


78  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

the-  mast  were  thorough  seamen,  the  task  was  speedily 
accomplished.  There  were  no  "  green  hands  "  to  be 
favored,  for  every  one  was  competent  to  hand,  reef, 
and  steer.  By  the  time  the  squadron  was  well  in  the 
offing,  the  ship's  company  was  in  condition  to  make 
sail.  About  ten  miles  outside  of  the  harbor,  the 
steamer  was  discharged. 

"  All  hands,  make  sail,  ahoy !  "  shouted  the  boat 
swain;  and  every  officer  and  seaman  sprang  to  his 
station. 

Lieutenants,  masters,  midshipmen,  and  pursers  min 
gled  with  the  seamen,  and  the  work  was  done  with 
promptness  and  precision.  Topsails,  top-gallant-sails, 
and  courses  were  set,  "and  with  the  wind  abeam,  the 
ship  went  off  to  -the  north-west  as  comfortably  as 
though  no  mutiny  had  distracted  her  routine.  When 
everything  was  made  snug  for  a  night  at  sea,  the  roll 
was  called,  and  the  names  of  the  mutineers  checked 
on  the  list. 

"  Young  gentleman,"  said  Mr.  Lowington,  while 
the  faithful  ^were  still  assembled  in  the  waist,  "I  re 
gret  that  so  many  of  your  companions  have  resorted 
to  a  silly  and  stupid  expedient  to  redress  real  or  im 
aginary  grievances.  Mutiny  is  never  respectable,  un- 
.der  any  circumstances ;  and  I  wish  to  draw  a  sharp 
line  between  those  who  do  their  duty  and  those  who 
do  not.  I  desire  that  none  "of  you  hold  any  communi 
cation  whatever  with  the  mutineers.  Be  dignified  and 
gentlemanly,  but  avoid  them.  Give  them  no  informa 
tion  in  regard  to  what  transpires  on  deck.  I  request 
you  to  do  this.  I  do  not  give  you  any  order  to  that 
effect. 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN    GERMANY.  79 

"  None  .of  the  mutineers  will  be  allowed  to  come,  on 
deck,  and  I  shall  have  some  means  of  distinguishing 
the  faithful  from  the  unfaithful."" 

"  Will  you  allow  me  to  furnish  a  badge  for  each  of 
the  faithful?"  asked  Grace  Arbuckle,  who  stood  near 
the  principal,  and  was  deeply  interested  in  the  pro 
ceedings. 

"  Certainly,  Miss  Arbuckle  ;  and  I  am  sure  the 
young  gentlemen  will  set  an  additional  value  upon  the 
decoration  if  it  is  beetowed  by  you,"  replied  Mr.  Low- 
ington,  as  gallantly  as  though  he  had  been  a  much 
younger  man. 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  answered  Grace,  blushing  at  the 
compliment. 

"  Miss  Arbuckle  will  give  a  badge  to  each  of  you," 
continued  the  principal  to  the  faithful  few. 

The  crew  on  deck  applauded  lustily. 

"  It  will  be  a  white  ribbon  on  the  left  breast,"  said 
Grace. 

"  A  white  ribbon  on  the  left  breast,"  repeated  Mr. 
Lowington,  as  Grace  hastened  to  the  cabin  to  procure 
the  materials  for  the  decoration.  "  I  learn  that  those 
who  refused  to  answer  the  boatswain's  call,  expected 
to  be  asked  for  an  explanation  of  their  conduct.  I 
cannot  make  terms  with  mutineers.  I  should  have 
proceeded  in  a  different  manner  if  I  had  not  believed 
there  was  a  misunderstanding.  I  am  willing  to  ex 
plain  for  your  benefit,  but  not  for  those  below.  Do 
you  understand?" 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir  !  "  shouted  the  students. 

"  With  a  promise  on  your  part  to  keep  your  own 
counsels,  I  will  explain.  Those  of  you  who  will  agree 


So  ^     DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

not  to  communicate  anything  I  may  say  to  the  muti 
neers  will  signify  it  by  going  abaft  the  mizzen-mast  on 
the  quarter-deck.  Those  who  decline  to  agree  to  these 
terms  will  remain  in  the  waist." 

Every  officer,  including  Perth,  and  every  seaman, 
promptly  marched  to  the  quarter-deck. 

"At  the  wheel,  do  you  agree  to  the  terms?"  said 
the  principal,  addressing  the  quarter-master  and  sea 
man  who  were  steering. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  both. 

"  Mr  Peaks,  you  will  see  that  no  one  is  at  the  lad 
der  of  the  main  hatch,"  continued  the  principal,  turn 
ing  to  the  adult  boatswain. 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  replied  Peaks,  who  soon  reported 
that  all  the  mutineers  were  still  in  the  mess-rooms. 

"  Now,  young  gentlemen,  I  am  told  it  is  generally 
believed  in  the  steerage  that  the  trip  down  the  Rhine 
has  been  abandoned  ;  that  the  ship  is  bound  to  Belfast 
to  convey  our  good  friends  to  their  home.  This  is  a 
mistake,  and  probably  the  one  which  made  the  mis 
chief  in  part.  I  have  no  idea  of  going  to  Belfast,  and 
no  idea  of  abandoning  the  excursion  into  Germany." 

The  boys  applauded  with  a  zeal  which  indicated 
how  satisfactory  the  intelligence  was  to  them. 

"  Certainly  the  discipline  of  the  ship  needs  improv 
ing,  but  I  was  satisfied  that  two  or  three  days'  service 
at  sea  would  restore  it  to  its  former  standard.  If  the 
squadron  remains  at  Havre  during  our  absence,  both 
vessels  must  go  into  the  docks,  which  involves  consid 
erable  expense.  I  therefore  purposed  to  make  a  harbor 
at  Brest,  and  gp  from  there  to  the  Rhine.  For  this 
reason  the  baggage  of  our  friends  was  brought  on 


YOUNG  AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  8 1 

board.     That  is  really  all  that  need  be  said.     Are  you 
satisfied?" 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir !  "  shouted  the  crowd. 

"  But  remember  that  this  explanation  is  made  for 
your  benefit,  and  not  for  that  of  the  students  in  the 
steerage.  They  have  chosen  their  own  remedy,  and 
they  must  abide  the  issue.  You  are  now  dismissed." 

"Not  yet,  if  you  please,  Mr.  Lowington,"  inter 
posed  Grace,  who  had  stationed  herself,  with  her 
mother  on  the  port  side  of  the  mizzen-mast.  "  If  the 
young  gentlemen  will  pass  this  way,  they  shall  be 
decorated  with  the  white  ribbon  of  the  Order  of  the 
Faithful/' 

"  The  Order  of  the  Faithful !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Low 
ington,  laughing,  while  all  the  students  applauded. 
"You  will  pass  forward  on  the  port  side  of  the  miz 
zen-mast,  and  be  initiated  into  the  Order  of  the  Faith 
ful." 

"  I  shall  join  that  order,"  said  Commodore  Kendall, 
as  he  placed  himself  in  the  single  line  formed  by  the 
boys. 

"  Let  the  flag-officer  go  first,"  added  some  of  the 
students,  dragging  Paul  to  the  head  of  the  column. 

"  Commodore  Kendall,  you  are  received  into  the 
Order  of  the  Faithful,"  said  Grace,  as  she  pinned  upon 
the  left  breast  of  his  coat  the  white  ribbon,  which  was 
doubled,  so  that  the  two  ends  hung  clown. 

"  Thank  you,  Miss  Arbuckle.  I  will  endeavor  to 
be  faithful,"  replied  the  flag-officer,  as  he  touched  his 
cap  to  the  fair  initiator. 

Captain  Shuffles  followed  him,  and  in  half  an  hour 
the  entire  party  were  duly  initiated  and  decorated. 
6 


82  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

As  fast  as  Mrs.  Arbuckle  could  cut  off  and  double  the 
ribbons,  Grace  adjusted  them.  She  explained  that 
she  had  purchased  a  large  quantity  of  narrow  white 
and  blue  ribbon  in  Paris  to  make  trimmings  for  a 

o 

dress ;  and  when  the  principal  had  spoken  of  a  dis 
tinguishing  mark  for  those  who  did  their  duty,  it  had 
suggested  to  her  the  white  ribbon  of  the  Order  of  the 
Faithful.  She  was  delighted  to  have  her  idea  so  well 
received. 

"  We  have  had  some  secret  societies  on  board  this 
ship,"  laughed  Paul  Kendall,  after  he  had  received 
his  decoration.  "I  move  you  we  form  another — the 
Order  of  the  Faithful." 

"  We  have  already  taken  the  obligation,"  added 
Shuffles. 

"  And  we  have  been  initiated  by  Miss  Arbuckle," 
said  Gordon. 

The  suggestion  was  received  with  favor,  though 
rather  as  a  pleasantry  than  as  a  serious  matter ;  and, 
after  the  faithful  had  all  marched  by  the  mizzen-mast, 
the  subject  was  again  taken  up  in  the  waist. 

"I  move  you  that  Commodore  Kendall  be  chosen 
Grand  Commander  of  the  Order  of  the  Faithful,"  said 
Shuffles. 

"  I  beg  you  will  excuse  me.  I  couldn't  walk  if  I 
had  to  carry  around  with  me  such  a  magnificent  title 
as  that,"  replied  Paul,  shrugging  his  shoulders  like  a 
Frenchman.  "  I  suggest  that  Miss  Grace  Arbuckle 
be  the  chief  of  the  order,  and  that  no  one  be  admitted 
unless  initiated  by  her.  As  she  is  the  founder  of  the 
order,  it  is  fair  that  she  should  be  its  head." 

"  Good ! "  shouted  several  of  the  officers  and  sea 
men. 


YOUNG  AMERICA    IN   GERMANY.  83 

"  What,  shall  her  title  be?"  added  Shuffles. 

"  Queen,"  replied  Gordon. 

"  No  ;  that's  too   commonplace,"  answered  Haven. 

"What  shall  it  be,  then?" 

"  Something  outlandish,  just  for  the  fun  of  the 
thing,"  said  Haven,  who  was  not  a  very  warm  advo 
cate  of  secret  societies. 

"  The  Amazon,"  suggested  one  of  the  seamen. 

"  O,  no  !  don't  call  her  an  Amazon,"  protested  Paul. 
"  It  would  be  a  libel  upon  her."  ^ 

"  The  Queen  of  the  Fairies." 

"  We  are  not  fairies,"  objected  Haven. 

"  She  is  one,  at  any  rate." 

"  Call  her  the  Empress." 

"  Simply  the  President." 

"  No  ;  the  Directress." 

The  question  seemed  to  be  a  trying  one ;  and  one 
after  another  suggested  titles  which  were  satisfactory 
to  no  one  but  the  proposers. 

"  How  will  the  Protectress  do  ?  "  inquired  Shuffles. 

"  Rather  formidable  and  commonplace,"  replied 
Haven.  "  Make  it  the  Grand  Protectress,  and  I  am 
with  3'ou." 

"  I  like  Protectress,"  added  Paul  Kendall. 

"  So  do  I,"  said  half  a  dozen  others. 

"  Grand  Protectress  is  better,"  persisted  Haven, 
who  could  not  help  making  a  burlesque  of  the  affair. 

"  Grand  Protectress  !  "  shouted  a  dozen  others,  who 
believed  in  high-sounding  titles. 

"  Put  it  to  vote,"  suggested  Shuffles. 

"  Ay,  ay  !  put  it  to  vote." 

"  Those  in  favor  of  Grand  Protectress  say,  ay,"  con 
tinued  Haven. 


84  **  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

"  Ay  !  "  responded  a  large  number. 

"  Opposed. " 

"  No." 

"  The  ayes  have  it.     Grand  Protectress  it  is." 

"  I  move  you  that  Commodore  Kendall  and  Captain 
Shuffles  be  a  committee  to  wait  upon  Miss  Arbiickle, 
and  inform  her  that  she  has  been  unanimously  chosen 
Grand  Protectress  of  the  Order  of  the  Faithful.  Those 
in  favor  say,  ay  ;  those  opposed,  no.  It  is  a  vote." 

The  committee  went  to  the  quarter-deck,  where 
Grace  and  her  mother  were  conversing  with  Mr. 
Lowington.  Paul,  who  was  by  seniority  the  spokes 
man,  touched  his  cap,  and  looked  as  dignified  as 
though  he  had  been  the  minister  plenipotentiary  of 
one  of  the  great  powers. 

"Miss  Arbuckle,  I  have  the  honor — and  I  should 
do  injustice  to  my  own  feelings  if  I  did  not  add,  the 
pleasure  —  to  inform  you,  that  you  have  been  unani 
mously  chosen  Grand  Protectress  of  the  Order  of  the 
Faithful." 

"The  what?"  asked  Grace. 

The  principal,  usually  very  solemn  and  dignified, 
laughed  heartily. 

"  Grand  Protectress/'  replied  Paul,  gravely.  "  The 
order  has  been  duly  established  ;  and,  as  you  have  ini 
tiated  all  the  members,  it  is  eminently  proper  that  you 
should  preside  over  its  destinies." 

"  Please  to  assure  the  members  of  the  order,  that  I 
accept  the  high  position,  and  that  I  am  very  grateful 
to  them  for  the  honor  they  have  done  me,"  answered 
Grace,  when  she  could  restrain  her  laughter  so  as  to 
speak. 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN    GERMAWY.  85 

"  I  am  happy  to  be  the  bearer  of  such  a  pleasant 
message,"  said  Paul,  as  he  bowed  and  retired. 

"  Grand  Protectress  !  "  laughed  Grace,  repeating  in 
measured  tones  her  magnificent  title. 

Paul  reported  the  acceptance  of  the  Grand  Protec 
tress  ;  and  the  society  was  further  organized  by  the 
choice  of  a  secretary,  whose  only  duty  was  to  keep  a 
record  of  the  names  of  the  members. 

"  Now,  we  want  a  motto,"  said  Gordon  ;  "  some 
thing  that  will  express,  in  few  words,  the  objects  of  the 
society." 

"  I  don't  happen  to  know  what  the  objects  of  the 
society  are,"  replied  Haven ;  "  but  I  suggest,  i  Honi 
soit  qtii  mal  y  pense?  " 

"  The  Queen  of  England  has  a  mortgage  on  that 
motto,"  said  Paul.  "  Semper  paratus  will  be  bet 
ter." 

"  What  does  it  mean?"  asked  a  student. 

"  Some  praties,"  replied  a  wag. 

"  Let  us  have  a  motto  in  plain  English,  and  one 
that  has  not  been  used  by  all  the  engine  companies  in 
the  United  States,"  added  Haven. 

"  Semper  paratus  is  good,  I  think,"  persisted  Paul. 
"  Always  ready'  to  answer  the  boatswain's  call,  and 
always  ready  to  do  our  duty." 

"  But  it  is  worn  out,"  protested  Haven.  "  I  move 
you  we  invite  the  Grand  Protectress  to  give  us  a 
motto." 

The  motion  was  carried,  and  the  same  committee, 
appointed  to  make  the  request.  Paul  led  the  way  to 
Grace  again,  who  was  still  highly  amused  at  the  grand 
honor  which  had  been  conferred  upon  her. 


86  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

"  The  Order  of  the  Faithful  instructs  me  humbly  to 
petition  the  Grand  Protectress  for  a  motto  suitable  to 
the  needs,  and  expressive  of  the  objects,  of  the  asso 
ciation,"  said  Paul. 

"  O,  clear  me  !  "  exclaimed  Grace.  "  If  you  ask 
such  things  as  that  of  me,  I  shall  not  wish  to  be  Grand 
Protectress.  I  think,  as  your  great  philosopher  said, 
it  will  be  paying  too  dear  for  the  whistle.  Must  it  be 
in  English,  French,  Latin,  or  German?" 

"  That  must  be  left  to  the  discretion  of  your  Grand 
Protectresship,"  answered  Paul,  gravely. 

"  Please  to  help  me,  father,"  said  she,  appealing  to 
Mr.  Arbuckle. 

"  Whatever  the  Grand  Protectress  vouchsafes  to 
give  us  shall  be  cherished  by  the  order,"  added  Paul. 

Mr.  Arbuckle  wrote  a  sentence  on  a  slip  of  paper, 
and  handed  it  to  Grace. 

"  Ah,  here  is  your  motto  ! "  exclaimed  she,  laughing 
heartily. 

"  Please  to  repeat  it,"  said  Captain  Shuffles. 

"  Vous  ne  pouvez  pas  fair  e  un  sifflet  de  la  queue 
d'un  cochon"  added  Grace,  reading  from  the  paper, 
which  she  handed  to  Paul,  choking  with  mirth. 

"  Thanks,  most  excellent  Grand  Protectress,"  re 
plied  the  commodore,  who  found  it  very  difficult  to 
maintain  his  gravity. 

"  It  is  a  literal  translation  of  the  English  proverb, 
and  perhaps  the  idea  is  not  expressed  in  similar  phrase 
in  French,"  said  Mr.  Arbuckle ;  "  but  I  think  it  will 
answer  very  well  for  a  motto." 

Paul  smoothed  down  his  face  as  well  as  he  could, 
and  conveyed  the  motto  to  the  assembled  order  in  the 
waist. 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  87 

"  I  have  the  honor  to-  inform  you  that  the  Grand 
Protectress  has  provided  a  motto,"  said  he. 

"What  is  it?"  demanded  a  dozen. 

"  It  is  in  French." 

"  The  motto  !  "  called  the  impatient  Faithfuls. 

"  Vous  ne  pouvez  pas  faire  un  sifflet  de  la  queue 
d*un  cochon." 

Only  two  or  three  laughed,  for  only  a  few  were  as 
good  French  scholars  as  Paul  and  Shuffles. 

"What's  the  English  of  it?  "asked  several  at  the 
same  time. 

"  You  must  excuse  me,  for  I  do  not  think  it  is  quite 
proper  to  translate  the  motto,"  replied  Paul. 

Those  who  understood  it  enjoyed  the  joke  too  much 
to  afford  the  others  any  light  on  the  subject.  Haven 
was  delighted  with  the  motto,  and  moved  that  it  be 
accepted.  As  it  had  been  furnished  by  the  Grand 
Protectress,  it  was  unanimously  adopted.  The  weak 
scholars  were  very  curious  to  know  the  meaning  of 
the  mystic  words.  Most  of  them  could  make  out  a 
part  of  the  sentence,  but  not  enough  to  translate  it. 
The  business  of  the  meeting  was  completed,  and  the 
members  separated,  all  of  them  feeling  that  the  muti 
ny  of  the  Young  America  was  more  like  a  merry 
making  than  anything  else.  To  be  decorated  with 
the  white  ribbon  of  the  order  by  a  beautiful  young 
lady  was  a  privilege  which  they  appreciated,  and  all 
of  them  were  thankful  that  they  had  not  been  led 
astray  by  the  evil  counsels  which  had  prevailed  in  the 
steerage. 

"  If  you  do  not  like  the  motto,  I  can  give  you  anoth 
er  now,"  said  Grace,  when  Paul  joined  the  little  party 
on  the  quarter-deck. 


88  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

"  The  one  you  gave  was  unanimously  adopted  by 
the  order,"  replied  Paul. 

"Was  it,  really?"  asked  Grace,  laughing  more 
heartily  than  before. 

"  Certainly  it  was." 

"Did  they  understand  its  meaning?" 

"  Some  of  them  did." 

"  If  you  like  this  one  better,  it  is  at  your  service : 
'  High  aims  produce  noble  deeds.' " 

"  While  I  hope  we  all  believe  in  the  English  one, 
I  think  the  members  of  the  order  prefer  the  French 
one." 

"  If  they  are  suited,  I  am,"  replied  Grace,  cheer 
fully. 

The  ship  was  still  going  along  under  easy  sail, 
though  the  weather  promised  to  be  unfavorable  be 
fore  morning.  At  eight  o'clock,  the  starboard  watch, 
with  the  first  and  third  lieutenants  in  charge,  took 
the  deck,  and  the  port  watch  went  below.  They  were 
to  be  ready  for  duty  at  twelve.  Everything  on  deck 
was  as  pleasant  as  a  merry-making.  None  of  the 
passengers  were  seasick. 

Everything  was  not  so  lovely  in  the  steerage,  and  it 
is  necessary  to  go  back  a  few  hours  in  order  to  ascer 
tain  what  passed  among  the  mutineers. 


YOUNG  AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  89 


CHAPTER  VI. 

IN   THE    STEERAGE. 

AFTER  the  students  finished  their  supper,  those 
who  had  decided  to  rebel  against  the  authorities 
of  the  ship  retired  to  the  mess-rooms,  agreeably  to 
the  instructions  of  the  leaders.  There  were  forty-four 
of  them,  including  the  eighteen  runaways  who  still 
remained  in  the  ship  as  seamen,  and  who  were  the 
real  mischief-makers,  forming  a  class  by  themselves, 
hardening  their  hearts  in  sheer  ugliness  against  the 
discipline  of  the  ship.  In  their  exploit  with  the  Jose 
phine,  they  had  "bucked"  against  authority,  and  had 
suffered  the  consequences,  which  unfortunately  had 
not  produced  a  favorable  impression  upon  them. 
They  were  disposed  to  do  the  same  thing  again. 

The  rest  of  the  mutineers  belonged  to  a  different 
class.  They  were  generally  well-disposed  boys,  fond 
of  fun  and  excitement,  not  exactly  the  u  lambs"  of 
the  flock,  but  certainly  not  the  black  sheep.  If  some 
of  them  had  assisted  in  creating  the  confusion  during 
the  drill,  they  had  not  done  so  with  any  malicious 
purpose,  as  the  runaways  had,  but  from  a  thoughtless 
love  of  sport  and  excitement.  They  would  never  have 
thought  of  such  an  expedient  as  rebellion  if  they  had 
not  been  cunningly  worked  upon  by  the  real  mischief- 


9O  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

makers.  They  were  not  strong-minded  young  men, 
who  dare  to  do  right  under  all  circumstances.  With 
good  impulses  in  the  main,  their  principle  was  not 
hardened  into  that  solid  element  which  constitutes  a 
reliable  conscience.  They  were  easily  led  away,  and 
believing  they  had  a  real  grievance,  they  resorted  to 
doubtful  means  for  its  redress. 

Of  this  class  Raymond  had  been  the  leading  spirit. 
He  would  have  resented  the  appellation  of  mutineer 
as  an  insult.  All  he  expected  and  desired  to  obtain 
was  an  explanation  ;  and  he  was  confident  that  when 
two  thirds  of  the  crew  mildly,  and  even  respectfully, 
declined  to  do  duty,  the  principal,  either  in  person  or 
by  deputy,  would  come  below  to  ascertain  the  nature 
of  the  difficulty.  He  had  cautioned  his  party  to  be 
perfectly  respectful  to  the  officers,  and  especially  to 
the  principal  and  professors.  If  it  was  to  be  a  mutiny 
in  any  sense  of  the  word,  it  was  to  be  a  very  gentle 
manly  one.  Having  reduced  the  intended  rebellion 
to  this  mild  form,  he  had  no  fear  that  the  rough 
hand  of  Peaks  would  be  laid  upon  them,  or  that 
the  party  would  be  driven  by  force  from  the  mess- 
rooms. 

"How  do  you  suppose  it  will  come  out?"  asked 
Hyde,  one  of  Raymond's  messmates,  in  a  low  tone,  as 
a  group  of  the  rebels  gathered  in  their  room. 

"  It  will  come  out  all  right,"  replied  the  leader  of 
the  mild  mutineers,  confidently. 

"  I'm  not  so  sure  of  that,"  added  Hyde,  shaking  his 
head.  "  Mr.  Lowington  is  a  great  stickler  for  disci 
pline  ;  and  he  is  not  exactly  the  man  to  come  below, 
and  coax  us  to  attend  to  our  duty." 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  9! 

"  I  don't  expect  he  will  coax  us  to  do  it.  But  there 
are  so  many  of  us  in  the  scrape  that  he  can  hardly  do 
anything  else." 

"  How  many  do  you  suppose  there  are?"  inquired 
Hyde. 

"  I  can't  tell  exactly,  but  I  am  satisfied  that  more 
than  two  thirds  of  the  whole  crew  will  stand  out." 

"  I  don't  know  about  that." 

"  I  know  that  every  fellow  in  the  ship  is  mad  be 
cause  the  trip  to  the  Rhine  is  given  up  ;  and  I  think 
that  at  least  two  thirds  of  them  are  mad  enough  to  do 
something  about  it.  I  should  not  be  surprised  if  not  a 
single  fellow  answered  the  boatswain's  call." 

"  I  should  ;  for  I  know  half  a  dozen  who  have  said 
they  should  ;  but  they  mean  to  let  the  principal  know 
that  all  the  fellows  are  dissatisfied  with  the  idea  of  be 
ing  cheated  out  of  the  run  into  Germany.  I'm.  not 
sure  that  this  wouldn't  be  the  better  way." 

"  O,  it  wouldn't  amount  to  a  row  of  pins  !  What 
does  the  principal  care  whether  the  fellows  are  satis 
fied  or  not?  We  must  do  something  to  prove  that  we 
are  somebody,"  persisted  Raymond. 

"That's  so,"  added  Lindsley,  earnestly.  "I  don't 
believe  in  all  Howe's  nonsense,  but  there  is  a  good 
deal  of  truth  in  what  he  says.  We  are  not  common 
sailors,  but  the  sons  of  wealthy  men.  We  were  sent 
to  this  ship  because  we  could  have  a  chance  to  see 
the  world  while  we  were  getting  an  education  ;  and  it 
isn't  just  the  thing  to  deprive  us  of  the  privileges  we 
pay  for.  Of  course  we  don't  mean  to  make  any  row. 
If  the  principal  don't  choose  to  set  us  right,  why,  we 
must  go  to  our  duty,  and  make  the  best  of  it ;  but  for 


92  DOWN   THE    RHINE,   OR 

one,  I  shall  write  to  my  father,  and  tell  him  just  how 
the  matter  stands." 

"  That's  the  idea,"  responded  Raymond.  "  I  shall 
do  the  same  thing,  and  I  know  my  father  will  send 
for  me  immediately.  My  mother  would  be  glad 
enough  to  have  me  go  home." 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  it  is,  fellows,"  added  Lindsley, 
warmly  ;  "  if  about  fifty  of  us  will  only  hang  together, 
we  can  have  our  own  way.  If  we  write  home  that 
we  are  dissatisfied,  that  the  principal  is  rough  on  us, 
and  won't  let  us  see  the  country,  we  can  blow  up  the 
Academy  Ship  higher  than  a  kite." 

"  I  think  we  have  seen  the  country  pretty  well," 
suggested  Wilde. 

"Yes ;  but  we  are  not  to  go  into  Germany,"  replied 
Raymond.  "  We  are  to  go  to  sea,  just  because  the 
new  captain  demands  it." 

"  For  my  own  part,  I  like  the  ship  first  rate,  and 
should  hate  to  have  my  father  send  for  me,"  continued 
Wilde.  "  I  don't  believe  there  are  a  dozen  fellows  on 
board  who  wouldn't  think  it  a  hard  case  if  they  had 
to  leave." 

"  Not  if  we  are  to  be  treated  in  this  manner.  If 
we  are  allowed  to  see  the  country,  and  have  a  good 
time,  every  fellow  will  be  satisfied,"  replied  Ray 
mond.  "  But  I  think  it  will  all  come  round  right 
if  we  keep  a  stiff  upper  lip,  and  stand  up  for  our 
rights.  I  like  Lindsley's  idea  first  rate.  We  can  talk 
that  up,  and  it  will  help  us  out,  if  nothing  else  will. 
We  can  easily  get  forty  or  fifty  of  the  fellows  to  say 
they  will  ask  their  fathers  to  take  them  away  from  the 
ship  if  they  don't  have  fair  play.  Then  we  can  mildly 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  93 

suggest  the  idea  to  Mr.  Lowington ;  and,  I  tell  you, 
he  can  see  that  the  loss  of  fifty  of  us  would  make  an 
end  of  his  big  idea." 

"  I'm  not  ready  to  say  I  will  ask  my  father  to  take 
me  out  of  the  ship,"  protested  Wilde. 

"  I  am,"  said  Raymond. 

"  So  am  I,"  added  Lindsley. 

"  And  I,"  chimed  in  others. 

"  While  we  are  waiting,  suppose  we  circulate  the 
idea." 

At  this  moment  Tremere  and  Willis,  who  were  the 
other  occupants  of  the  mess-room,  came  in,  and  the 
proposition  wras  stated  to  them. 

"  No  !  "  exclaimed  Tremere,  very  decidedly.  "  When 
the  boatswain  pipes,  I«fehall  go  on  deck,  and  do  my 
duty  as  long  as  I  have  two  legs  to  stand  on,  and  two 
hands  to  work  with." 

"  So  shall  I,"  added  Willis.  "  I  don't  believe  half 
the  stories  that  have  been  told  through  the  ship.  In 
my  opinion,  if  any  of  the  fellows  don't  go  down  the 
Rhine  this  year,  it  will  be  because  they  are  rebels  or 
runaways.  I  shall  take  my  station  when  the  boat 
swain  pipes,  if  I  am  the  only  fellow  on  board  that 
does  so*" 

"  If  you  haven't  spunk  enough  to  stand  up  for  your 
rights,  you  deserve  to  lose  them,"  replied  Raymond, 
disgusted  with  the  answers  of  those  high-toned  stu 
dents. 

"•  My  rights!  Humph!  I  value  them  too  highly 
to  throw  them  away  by  any  such  stupid  conduct  as 
you  suggest,"  answered  Willis. 

Lindsley,  thinking  that  Tremere  and  Willis  did  not 


94  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

understand  their  plan,  volunteered  to  explain  that  they 
did  not  intend  to  use  any  violent  measures  ;  that  they 
meant  to  be  entirely  respectful  to  the  officers  and  to 
the  faculty. 

"  Disobedience  is  disobedience,  whether  you  are 
respectful  or  disrespectful ;  whether  you  say  '  no ' 
squarely,  or  '  excuse  me ; '  only  the  former  is  less 
cowardly  than  the  latter,"  said  Tremere,  in  reply. 
"  As  I  understand  the  matter,  you  are  getting  up  a 
row,  asking  fellows  to  write  to  their  fathers  to  take 
them  away  from  the  ship." 

"  All  hands,  up  anchor,  ahoy !  "  shouted  the  boat 
swain,  at  the  main  hatch. 

Raymond  returned  to  the  mess-room,  while  the 
two  incorruptible  fellows  hastened  to  their  stations 
on  deck. 

"  Now  we  are  in  for  it !  "  said  Lindsley. 

"  Let  us  stick  to  our  text,"  added  Raymond,  fearful 
that  some  of  the  party  would  back  out  as  the  decisive 
moment  had  come. 

"  Ay,  ay  !     Stick  to  the  text !  "  added  Hyde. 

"  Hold  on,  and  I  will  see  how  many  fellows  an 
swer  the  call,"  continued  Raymond,  nervously,  as 
he  stationed  himself  at  the  door  of  the  room,  where 
he  could  see  the  seamen  who  went  up  the  ladder. 

"  Count  them,"  said  Lindsley. 

It  was  an  exciting  moment  to  the  rebels,  for  how 
ever  real  they  believed  their  grievances  to  be,  proba 
bly  not  many  of  them  were  satisfied  with  the  expedi 
ency  or  the  justice  of  the  measure  they  had  adopted 
to  redress  them. 

"  Only  twelve  !  "  exclaimed  Raymond,  when  the 
last  of  the  faithful  had  ascended  the  ladder. 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN    GERMANY.  95 

"  That's -bully  !  "  said  Hyde,  rubbing  his  hands  with 
satisfaction  at  the  assumed  success  of  the  scheme. 

"  Are  you  sure  that  you  counted  right?"  inquired 
Lindsley. 

"  I  counted  ten,  and  added  Tremere  and  Willis  to 
the  number,  for  they  had  gone  up  before  I  began.  I 
didn't  expect  even  as  many  as  that  would  go." 

But  the  enthusiastic  rebel  had  made  a  blunder.  A 
portion  of  those  who  intended  to  obey  orders,  having 
no  motive  for  remaining  below,  had  gone  on  deck  as 
soon  as  they  finished  their  suppers.  Sixteen  of  these, 
added  to  the  twelve  who  went  up  from  the  steerage, 
made  the  twenty-eight  who  first  answered  the  call. 

"  Only  twelve  ! "  repeated  Hyde. 

"  If  we  have  nearly  the  whole  crowd,  we  can  do 
something  more  than  explain  our  position,"  said 
Lindsley. 

"  I'm  not  in  favor  of  doing  anything  more  than 
that,"  added  Raymond,  shaking  his  head. 

"  All  hands,  up  anchor,  ahoy  !  "  shouted  the  boat 
swain,  the  second  time,  at  the  main  hatch. 

"  It's  all  right,"  said  Howe,  appearing  at  the  door ; 
"  not  a  fellow  answers  it." 

"  Only  a  dozen  have  gone  on  deck  in  all,"  added 
Raymond. 

"  Is  that  all?  "  asked  the  runaway. 

"  That's  all ;  I  counted  them." 

"  Good !  We  shall  make  a  big  thing  of  it,"  an 
swered  Howe,  as  he  left  the  room  to  look  into  others, 
in  all  of  which  it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  strong-minded 
rebels  were  engaged  in  stiffening  the  backs  of  the 
weaker  ones,  for  a  large  portion  of  them  were  in  a 
very  novel  position. 


OR 


"  Some  one  will  be  down  very  soon  to  know  what 
the  matter  is,"  said  Hyde,  fidgeting  about  his  berth, 
where  he  ha'd  stretched  himself  to  await  the  time. 

"  Who  shall  speak  for  us?"  asked  Raymond. 

"  You  shall,"  replied  Lindsley. 

"  Very  well  ;  I  will  do  the  best  I  can,"  answered 
Raymond,  modestly.  "  I  am  to  say,  very  respectfully, 
that  the  fellows  are  dissatisfied  with  the  idea  of  going 
to  sea,  and  giving  up  the  trip  to  the  Rhine." 

"  Yes  ;  and  we  respectfully  request  that  the  princi 
pal  will  make  good  his  promise  to  take  us  into  Ger 
many,"  added  Hyde. 

"  Don't  you  mean  to  say  anything  about  the  letters 
to  our  fathers,  asking  them  to  take  us  away  from  the 
ship?"  inquired  Lindsley. 

"  That  looks  a  little  like  a  threat,"  objected  Ray 
mond.  "  Besides,  we  don't  know  how  many  fellows 
v/ill  agree  to  send  such  letters." 

"  Let  us  go  round  and  see,"  suggested  Lindsley. 

"  We  will,  if  there  is  time." 

As  the  record  of  the  preceding  chapter  testifies, 
there  was  an  abundance  of,  time  to  carry  out  this  or 
any  other  preliminary  measure.  Raymond  and  Linds 
ley  proceeded  to  canvass  the  rebels  in  regard  to  the  let 
ters.  The  eighteen  runaways  were  ready  to  assent  to 
anything,  but  only  about  half  of  the  others  were  will 
ing  to  give  in  their  allegiance  to  what  they  regarded 
as  a  mean  scheme.  Some  even  declared  they  would 
back  out  if  anything  of  this  sort  was  to  be  attempted. 
Raymond  was  politic  enough  not  to  press  the  measure 
very  hard,  and  he  returned  to  his  room  with  the  names 
of  only  thirty,  instead  of  fifty,  which  he  had  expected 
to  obtain. 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN    GERMANY.  97 

"  That's  enough  to  make  a  show  with,"  said  Lindsley. 

"  But  I  don't  intend  to  say  anything  about  the  letters 
to  the  principal,  if  he  is  willing  to  do  the  fair  thing 
by  us." 

«'  What  are  they  about  on  deck?  It  is  half  an  hour 
since  the  boatswain  piped  all  hands,"  said  Hyde,  jump 
ing  out  of  his  berth. 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know,"  replied  Lindsley,  uneasily. 
"  I  should  think  they  had  found  out  by  this  time  that 
something  was  the  matter." 

"  I  know  one  thing,"  said  Wilde,  with  a  significant 
shake  of  the  head,  as  though  he  had  made  an  impor 
tant  discovery. 

"What's  that?"  demanded  the  others,  in  the  same 
breath. 

"  They  have  put  the  grating  on  the  main  hatch,  so 
that  we  can't  go  on  deck  if  we  wish  to  do  so,"  re 
plied  Wilde,  who  had  begun  to  be  regarded  as  one 
with  a  weak  back. 

"  No  matter  for  that,"  answered  Raymond,  with  an 
effort  to  laugh,  though  he  was  far  from  beipg  satisfied 
with  the  situation  as  indicated  by  the  closed  hatch. 
"  As  we  don't  want  to  go  on  deck,  it  makes  no  differ 
ence  to  us." 

"  That's  so,"  added  Lindsley.  "  They  have  put  on 
the  grating  to  make  a  show.  They  can't  do  anything 
while  sixty  of  the  crew  are  below." 

"  Are  you  sure  there  are  sixty? "  asked  Hyde,  doubt 
fully. 

"  Take  twelve  from  the  whole  crew,  and  it  leaves 
sixty.     But  count  them   for  yourself,  if  you  are  not 
satisfied  with  my  figures." 
7 


98  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

"  I  will ; "  and  he  left  the  mess-room  for  this  pur 
pose. 

He  had  the  curiosity  to  look  up  the  hatch,  and 
made  another  discovery  —  that  the  stout  boatswain 
was  there,  apparently  keeping  watch.  The  faithful 
had  just  marched  to  the  quarter-deck,  to  indicate  that 
they  were  willing  to  "  keep  their  own  counsel,"  as 
requested  by  the  principal.  Hyde  returned  to  the 
room  to  report  the  fact.  It  looked  like  decided  meas 
ures  to  him. 

"  I  think  we  are  caged,"  said  he. 

"No  matter  if  we  are,"  replied  Raymond,  with  a 
sneer.  "  One  thing  is  plain  enough  ;  they  can't  go  to 
sea  without  us." 

"  No  ;  twelve  fellows  can't  get  the  anchor  up,  even 
with  the  help  of  Peaks,"  added  Lindsley. 

"  O,  we've  got  them,"  persisted  Raymond.  "We 
are  a  majority  of  all  hands,  even  if  you  count  the  offi 
cers  on  the  other  side ;  and  I  happen  to  know  they 
are  as  much  dissatisfied  as  we  are." 

Hyde  left  the  room  again,  and  succeeded  in  making 
a  count  of  all  the  seamen  in  the  steerage. 

"  Humph !  "  snuffed  he,  on  his  return.  "  You 
counted  the  fellows  with  your  elbows,  Raymond. 
There  are  only  forty-four  in  the  steerage." 

"  Forty-four  !  "  sneered  Raymond.  "  Does  twelve 
from  seventy-two  leave  forty-four  ?  " 

"  No ;  but  twenty-eight  from  seventy-two  leaves 
forty-four,"  retorted  Hyde.  "  I'm  sure  I'm  right." 

Raymond  was  not  satisfied,  and  counted  for  himself, 
but  with  no  different  result ;  and  Lindsley  suggested 
that  some  of  the  twenty-eight  were  on  deck  when  the 
boatswain's  call  sounded. 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  99 

"Well,  what's  the  odds?"  demanded  the  mortified 
leader  of  the  moderate  party.  "  They  can't  get  the  ship 
under  way  with  twenty-eight  much  better  than  with 
twelve.  It  .takes  thirty-two  to  man  the  capstan. 
What  are  they  doing  on  deck?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  replied  Hyde.  "  I  was  going  up 
the  ladder  to  ascertain,  but  Peaks  drove  me  away.  I 
heard  them  lowering  boats,  but  I  could  not  make  out 
what  they  intend  to  do." 

"  O,  it's  all  right.  You  needn't  fret  about  it,"  added 
the  leader. 

Probably  no  one  was  more  disturbed  than  he.  The 
lowering  of  the  boats  was  discussed  in  full,  but  noth 
ing  could  be  made  of  it,  though  Raymond  insisted 
that  the  ship  could  not  go  to  sea  while  the  boats  were 
away.  Half  an  hour  later  they  heard  the  faithful  on 
deck  hoisting  up  the  boats.  Hyde  stood  at  the  door  of 
the  mess-room  watching  the  hatchway,  for  any  chance 
revelation  of  the  principal's  intentions.  The  same 
doubt  and  uncertainty,  as  well  as  curiosity  in  regard 
to  the  movements  on  deck,  prevailed  in  all  the  other 
mess-rooms.  It  had  been  agreed  that  all  hands  should 
remain  in  their  rooms ;  but  this  agreement  was  now 
violated,  and  most  of  the  mutineers  were  gathered  at 
the  doors,  anxious  to  obtain  intelligence  from  the 
deck. 

Suddenly  the  grating  was  removed  from  the  hatch. 

"  All  hands,  up  anchor,  ahoy  !  "  shouted  the  boat 
swain,  for  the  third,  and,  as  it  proved,  the  last  time. 

But  no  one  came  below  to  remonstrate,  or  ask  for 
the  explanation  which  a  majority  of  the  rebels  were 
now  exceedingly  anxious  to  give.  The  moment  the 
call  sounded,  Wilde  walked  towards  the  ladder. 


100  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

"Where  are  you  going?"  demanded  Raymond, 
angrily. 

"  I  have  had  enough  of  this  thing,"  he  replied,  and, 
without  waiting  for  any  further  parley,  went  on  deck, 
though  the  rebels  hissed  him. 

Another  seaman  from  one  of  the  other  mess-rooms 
followed  his  example,  though  Howe  seized  him  by  the 
collar,  and  attempted  to  detain  him  by  force.  For 
tunately  he  was  a  stout  fellow,  and  shook  off  his  as 
sailant.  A  storm  of  hisses  and  abuse  followed  him 
as  he  went  up  the  ladder.  Doubtless  this  treatment 
of  the  weak-backed,  as  they  were  considered,  deterred 
others  from  imitating  their  example,  for  the  faithful 
had  only  these  two  added  to  their  number. 

".I'm  glad  we  are  rid  of  them,"  said  Raymond. 
"  Fellows  with  weak  backs  don't  do  us  any  good." 

"  They  add  to  our  number,  at  any  rate,"  replied 
Hyde,  who,  if  he  could  have  escaped  the  odium  of  the 
movement,  would  have  gone  on  deck  himself. 

"  No  matter  for  that ;  we  have  forty-two  left,  and 
the  ship  can't  go  to  sea  without  our  help,"  added  Ray 
mond. 

"  I'm  not  quite  sure  of  that,"  answered  Hyde. 

"  No  matter  if  she  does  go  to  sea,"  said  Lindsley. 

"  But  she  can't  go,"  persisted  Raymond.  "  All  we 
want  is  a  chance  to  state  our  grievances ;  and  the 
principal  is  not  going  to  let  us  stay  down  here  a  great 
many  days  without  knowing  what  the  matter  is." 

"  Hark ! "  said  Hyde,  as  the  boatswain's  whistle 
sounded  on  deck. 

"  Man  the  capstan ! "  shouted  Goodwin,  the  first 
lieutenant. 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN    GERMANY.  IOI 

"  Doesn't  that  look  as  though  the  ship  was  going  to 
sea?"  added  the  sceptical  Hyde.  "  I  tell  you  what  it 
is,  fellows,  we  are  sold  ! " 

"  Sold?  Not  a  bit  of  it!  We  are  in  the  winning 
boat." 

"  Not  exactly." 

The  rebels  listened  to  the  merry  pipe  of  those 
who  walked  around  the  capstan,  and  heard  the  grating 
of  the  chain  cables  as  they  passed  through  the  tiers 
into  the  lockers  in  the  hold.  It  was  plain  enough 
that  thirty-two  hands  had  been  found  to  man  the  cap 
stan,  for  the  anchor  was  certainly  coming  up  from  its 
miry  bed.  These  sounds  produced  something  like 
consternation  among  the  mutineers,  for  they  indicated 
at  least  a  partial  failure  of  the  scheme  in  which  they 
had  trusted  for  redress. 

"  Go  ahead  !  "  shouted  the  executive  officer  through 
his  trumpet. 

"Go  ahead?"  repeated  Raymond,  as  he  went  to 
the  sky-light.  "  Not  a  sail  has  been  set." 

"  But  she  is  moving,"  said  Hyde.  "  I  see  how  it 
is.  They  have  taken  a  tug-steamer." 

"  They  are  not  going  to  tow  the  ship  to  Belfast," 
answered  Raymond,  as  he  went  to  one  of  the  port  gang 
ways  from  which  the  mess-rooms  opened.  "  There 
goes  the  Josephine,  under  sail.  In  my  opinion,  they 
are  only  dropping  down  to  another  anchorage.  The 
principal  will  not  think  of  such  a  thing  as  going  to 
sea  with  only  thirty  seamen.  It  isn't  safe  to  do  so." 

"  When  it  isn't  safe,  Peaks  will  be  down  here, 
and  you  will  have  to  turn  out  and  do  duty,"  said 
Hyde. 


102  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

At  that  instant,  as  if  to  verify  the  prophecy  of  the 
croaker,  the  stalwart  boatswain,  with  the  assistance 
of  the  carpenter,  lifted  the  grating  off  the  main  hatch. 
Most  of  the  rebels  retreated  to  their  rooms  ;  but  it  was 
a  false  alarm,  for  the  two  adult  seamen,  instead  of 
coming  below  themselves,  only  lifted  up  the  ladder, 
and  drew  it  on  deck,  restoring  the  grating  when  it 
was  done. 

"  That  looks  like  something,"  said  Lindsley. 

"  I  tell  you  we  are  sold,"  added  Hyde.  "  The  prin 
cipal  isn't  coming  down  here  to  ask  us  for  an  explana 
tion.  It  isn't  his  style." 

"  Don't  croak  any  more,  Hyde,"  protested  Ray 
mond,  in  disgust. 

"  I  only  say  we  are  sold,  and  you  can't  deny  it." 

"Wait  and  see." 

They  did  wait,  and  after  a  while  they  heard  the 
order  to  shake  out  the  topsails.  Looking  up  through 
the  main  skylight,  they  saw  lieutenants,  masters,  and 
midshipmen,  on  the  yards.  They  listened  to  the 
voices  of  Paul  Kendall,  Gordon,  and  Haven,  issu 
ing  orders  which  were  usually  given  by  the  lieuten 
ants.  From  what  they  saw  and  what  they  heard, 
they  were  enabled  to  arrive  at  a  tolerably  correct 
solution  of  the  means  by  which  the  ship  was  at  pres 
ent  handled.  They  understood  that  the  larger  por 
tion  of  the  officers  were  doing  duty  as  seamen,  while 
the  past  officers  were  serving  as  volunteers  under  the 
captain. 

"  We  might  as  well  cave  in,  and  go  on  deck," 
said  Hyde,  after  the  movements  on  deck  had  been 
thoroughly  discussed. 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  103 

"  Humph  !  You  can't  get  on  deck,  to  begin  with," 
replied  Raymond.  "  But  I  haven't  any-idea  of  giving 
it  up  so." 

"  The  plan  has  failed  —  that's  plain  enough,"  added 
Hyde. 

"  Not  yet." 

"  I  think  it  has.  We  are  whipped  out,  and  the 
sooner  we  make  our  peace  with  Mr.  Lowington,  the 
better  it  will  be  for  us." 

"  If  you  mean  to  back  out,  say  so,  Hyde." 

"  I  don't  want  to  back  out  while  the  rest  of  the 
fellows  stick." 

"  How  will  it  do  to  send  a  messenger  to  the  princi 
pal,  state  our  grievances,  and  have  the  thing  over  ?" 
suggested  Johnson. 

This  idea  met  with  considerable  favor,  but  the  prin 
cipal  objection  to  the  measure  was,  that  the  messenger 
could  not  get  on  deck,  as  the  ladder  was  removed  from 
the  main  hatch,  and  the  forward  one  was  closed.  The 
ship  careened,  the  waves  dashed  against  the  bow,  and 
it  was  evident  that  she  was  going  to  sea  in  good  ear 
nest.  A  large  portion  of  the  rebels  were  now  studying 
up  a  plan  to  get  out  of  the  scrape,  rather  than  to  es 
tablish  their  rights.  The  boatswain's  whistle  sounded 
on  deck,  and  all  hands  were  piped  to  muster.  Vainly 
the  mutineers  tried  to  ascertain  what  was  going  on, 
while  Mr.  Lowington  was  making  his  explanation  to 
the  faithful ;  but  the  parties  were  on  the  quarter-deck 
beyond  their  sight  and  hearing.  Only  the  applause 
which  followed  Grace's  proposition  to  decorate  the 
members  of  the  Order  of  the  Faithful  reached  their 
ears.  The  ceremony  itself,  which  took  place  in  the 


104  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

waist,  indicated  that  those  on  deck  were  having  an 
exceedingly  jolly  time,  though  the  nature  of  the  per 
formance  was  not  understood.  Then,  when  the  Grand 
Protectress  was  elected,  the  hilarious  mirth  of  the 
Faithful  was  positively  sickening  to  the  rebels.  Those 
on  deck  appeared  to  be  making  fun  of  those  below, 
for  what  else  could  they  be  laughing  at,  since  the 
refusal  of  the  rebels  to  do  duty  must  be  the  all-absorb 
ing  topic  on  board?  The  situation  was  very  unsatis 
factory  to  the  mild  mutineers,  and  not  very  hopeful  to 
the  runaways. 

"  Let  them  laugh,"  said  Raymond,  whistling  up  his 
courage,  so  that  he  could  maintain  the  dignity  and 
firmness  of  a  leader.  "  If  we  hold  out,  we  shall  carry 
our  point.  I  have  looked  at  the  tell-tale,  and  the  ship 
is  headed  to  the  north-west.  If  the  course  means  any 
thing,  it  means  Belfast." 

"What's  the  use  of  talking?"  exclaimed  Johnson. 
"  The  plan  I  proposed  is  the  only  one  now.  I  move 
you  we  send  a  messenger  to  the  principal." 

"  You  can't  get  on  deck,"  retorted  Raymond. 

"  We  can  hail  some  one  on  deck,  or  knock  at  the 
door  of  the  main  cabin." 

"  It  looks  like  backing  out,"  added  Lindsley. 

"  That  is  what  we  shall  have  to  do  in  the  end,  and 
we  may  as  well  do  it  first  as  last,"  said  Hyde. 

"  Hold  on  !  Here  comes  Howe,"  continued  Linds 
ley.  ."  Let  us  hear  what  he  has  to  say." 

"  I  don't  care  what  he  says,"  muttered  Hyde,  who, 
like  many  other  of  the  mild  rebels,  was  not  willing  to 
join  hands  with  the  virulent  and -Intense  ones. 

"  I  say,  fellows,  we  are  not  making  much  on  this 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  105 

tack,"  Howe  began,  as  he  joined  the  group  at  the  door 
of  the  mess-room.  "  We  are  going  to  have  a  meeting 
abaft  the  foremast,  to  decide  what  shall  be  done  next. 
All  hands  are  invited." 

Howe  moved  on  to  extend  the  invitation  to  others. 


106  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    VISIT    TO    THE    HOLD. 

"T  DON'T  attend  any  meeting  with  those  fellows," 

J_  said  the  prudent  Hyde,  as  the  rebels  began  to 
gather  at  the  place  indicated. 

"  There  is  no  harm  in  hearing  what  they  have  to 
say,"  replied  Lindsley. 

"  I  don't  care  what  they  have  to  say.  I  won't  have 
anything  to  do  with  them.  In  my  opinion  they  are 
trying  to  get  us  all  into  a  scrape." 

"  You  are  in  one  now,  and  you  may  as  well  be 
hung  for  an  old  sheep  as  a  lamb." 

"  I  would  rather  be  hung  for  a  lamb,"  answered 
Hyde,  turning  on  his  heel,  and  walking  as  far  from 
the  foremast  as  the  limits  of  the  steerage  would  per 
mit. 

About  a  dozen  others  followed  his  example,  for  the 
meeting  was  understood  to  be  called  by  the  runaways, 
who  represented  the  most  virulent  type  of  rebellion. 
They  had  already  lost  all  their  privileges  for  the  sea 
son,  which  could  be  restored  only  by  the  grace  of 
the  principal,  and  they  had  nothing  to  sacrifice.  It 
was  not  prudent  to  enter  into  their  counsels,  and  the 
mildest  rebels,  like  Hyde  and  Johnson,  avoided  them. 

"  We   are  not   making  much  on  this   tack,"  said 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN   GERMANY.  1 07 

Howe,  wlien  the  rebels,  who  chose  to  take  part  in  the 
meeting,  had  assembled. 

"  That's  so  !  "  exclaimed  Lindsley. 

"  Well,  what's  to  be  done?  That's  the  next  ques 
tion." 

"Nothing,"  added  Raymond,  who  dreaded  any 
extreme  measures,  and  did  not  mean  that  Howe's 
party  should  obtain  control  of  the  movement.  "  As 
I  understand  the  matter,  all  is  going  on  right.  We 
have  only  to  hold  out,  and  everything  will  end  well 
for  us." 

"But  we  .are  shut  up  in  the  steerage.  We  are 
prisoners.  The  tables  are  turned  upon  us,"  replied 
Howe. 

"  Not  at  all.  We  have  carried  our  point  so  far. 
We  refused  to  do  duty,  and  we  haven't  done  any.  I 
am  in  favor  of  fighting  it  out  in  this  manner  to  the 
end." 

"  It  is  a  milk-and-water  affair  as  it  is  now,  and 
won't  amount  to  anything." 

"  What's  the  reason  it  won't  ? "  demanded  the 
champion  of  the  mild  party. 

"  Suppose  the  main  hatch  were  opened,  and  the 
boatswain  should  call  all  hands  —  how  many  of  us  do 
you  suppose  would  be  left?  There  are  a  dozen  of 
your  chickens  that  would  back  down  so  quick  it  would 
make  your  eyes  smart,"  added  the  champion  of  the 
intense  party,  pointing  to  the  group  which  had  col 
lected  around  Hyde,  who  appeared  to  be  forming  a 
party  of  his  own.  "And  the  next  time  the  call  was 
made,  a  lot  more  would  slump.  Before  long  we 
should  be  so  reduced  in  numbers  that  the  brig  would 


ICS  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

hold  us  all,  and  a  few  of  us  would  have  to  stand  the 
punishment  for  the  sins  of  the  crowd.  You  led  us 
into  the  scrape  ;  now  you  must  help  us  out  of  it." 

"Who  led  you  into  it?"  asked  Raymond,  indig 
nantly. 

"You  and  your  fellows,  of  course,"  retorted  the 
heavy  champion. 

"  I  don't  see  it." 

"  Don't  you  ?  Then  you  are  as  green  as  a  tame 
pigeon,"  continued  Howe,  smartly.  "  Our  fellows  — 
of  course  you  know  I  mean  those  who  ran  away  in 
the  Josephine  —  are  under  the  ban  already.  Did  you 
suppose  we  were  going  into  an  affair  like  this  alone? 
Not  much !  We  went  in  because  you  did ;  to  back 
up  your  movement.  Now  we  are  in  it,  you  want 
to  back  out,  and  let  your  fellows  show  the  white 
feather." 

"  I  don't  mean  to  back  out,"  protested  Raymond. 

"But  those  fellows  out  there  do,"  added  the  wily 
rogue. 

"  Well,  there  are  thirty  of  us  here,  who  will  stick 
to  the  end.  What  do  you  say,  fellows?" 

"  Of  course  we  will,"  replied  several,  very  mildly. 

"  Will  you  agree,  upon  your  word  and  honor,  to 
stick  as  long  as  any  one  does?" 

"  That  depends  upon  circumstances,"  interposed 
Lindsley. 

"I  suppose  it  does,"  sneered  Howe.  "It  isn't  fair 
to  leave  us  to  bear  the  brunt  of  the  whole." 

"  All  we  ever  proposed  to  do  was  simply  to  refuse  to 
do  duty  till  we  had  explained  our  position  to  the  prin 
cipal,"  added  Raymond. 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  109 

"And  kiss  the  rod,  whether  you  get  fair  play  or 
not,"  replied  Howe. 

"  We  can't  do  anything  more  than  that.  When 
the  principal  understands  that  over  forty  of  us  are  dis 
satisfied,  we  have  gained  our  point." 

"  Have  you  indeed  !  "  flouted  Howe.  "  Then  I 
fancy  you  have  already  gained  it,  for  he  has  found 
out  that  you  are  dissatisfied  by  this  time." 

"  Well,  what  do  you  want  to  do  ?  "  demanded  Ray 
mond. 

"  It's  no  use  to  mince  the  matter.  We  have  made 
a  failure  of  it  so  far.  The  lambs  on  deck  are  having 
a  good  time,  laughing,  cheering,  and  carrying  on  — 
making  game  of  us,  no  doubt,  while  we  are  shut  up 
here  as  prisoners,"  replied  Howe,  rolling  up  his 
sleeves,  as  though  he  intended  to  do  something  sav 
age.  "  We  ought  to  make  ourselves  felt,  which  we 
haven't  done  yet,  for  the  rest  of  the  ship's  company 
seem  to  regard  our  movement  as  a  good  joke,  and  to 
think  we  are  having  the  worst  of  it.  Well,  I  think 
we  are  ;  and  we  must  make  ourselves  felt." 

"  Do  you  call  it  making  yourselves  felt  when  you  are 
pounded  on  the  head  with  belaying  pins,  as  you  were 
in  the  Josephine?"  inquired  Lindsley,  dryly. 

"  We  raised  a  breeze  there,  and  we  are  bound  to  do 
it  here." 

"  A  breeze  that  first  knocks  you  down  yourself.  I 
would  rather  have  the  wind  blow  another  way,"  add 
ed  Raymond. 

"I  don't  mean  to  get  up  a  fight,  or  anything  of 
that  sort." 

"  Well,  what  do  you  mean?"  asked  Raymond,  im 
patiently. 


110  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

"  We  have  plans  of  our  own  ;  but  we  are  not  going 
to  disclose  them  till  we  have  some  "assurance  that  the 
other  fellows  will  stand  by  us,"  answered  the  cautious 
leader  of  the  intense  party.  "  We  are  going  to  make 
ourselves  felt." 

"  We  are  not  going  to  agree  to  anything  without 
knowing  what  it  is,"  said  Lindsley. 

"  And  we  are  not  going  to  let  on  to  fellows  that  may 
go  to  the  principal,  and  blow  the  whole  thing.  I  will 
say  this  :  If  your  fellows  will  pledge  themselves,  word 
and  honor,  to  $tand  by  us  to  the  end,  I  will  agree  that 
the  ship  shall  return  to  Havre,  or  some  other  port  in 
France,  within  twenty-four  hours,  and  that  the  tables 
shall  be  turned  in  our  favor." 

u  How  are  you  going  to  do  it?"  asked  Lindsley. 

"  Leave  that  to  me.  I  have  a  plan  which  cannot 
fail.  Do  the  fair  thing  by  us,  and  we  will  get  you  out 
of  the  scrape." 

"  I  will  agree  to  this,  and  nothing  more :  I  will 
stand  out  till  we  have  a  chance  to  be  heard,"  replied 
Raymond,  who  began  to  have  some  hope  of  the  mys 
terious  movements  of  How£.  "  I  will  do  nothing  but 
stand  out." 

"  We  don't  ask  you  to  do  anything  else.  We  will 
do  the  rest,  if  you  back  us  up." 

"  We  don't  back  you  up,  for  we  don't  even  know 
what  you  are  going  to  do." 

u  We  will  tell  you  wrhat  we  are  going  to  do." 

"  Hold  on  !  Perhaps  we  had  better  not  know  any 
thing  about  it,"  interposed  Raymond. 

"  No,  you  don't !  "  exclaimed  Howe.  "  We  will  tell 
those  who  will  take  the  oath." 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN    GERMANY.      .  Ill 

"  The  oath  !  "  ejaculated  Lindsley.  "  Are  we  join 
ing  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Fleece  ? " 

"  No,  no  !  I  mean  the  promise,"  answered  Howe, 
impatiently.  "  Word  and  honor  —  that's  all  I  want." 

The  runaway  portion  of  the  rebels  were  doubtless 
already  familiar  with  the  extraordinary  means  which 
was  to  turn  the  ship  back  to  the  ports  of  France. 
The  others,  who  attended  the  meeting,  were  largely 
influenced  by  curiosity.  They  were  intensely  morti 
fied  at  the  defeat,  which  they  were  unwilling  to  ac 
knowledge.  It  would  afford  them  immense  satisfac 
tion  to  have  the  tables  turned  in  their  favor ;  but  they 
were  utterly  unable  to  imagine  what  powerful  ma 
chinery  Howe  and  his  associates  could  bring  to  bear 
upon  the  obdurate  principal ;  how  they  were  to  com 
pel  him  to  put  the  ship  about,  and  return  to  France. 

The  mild  party  retired  to  consider  whether  it  would 
be  prudent  for  them  to  enter  into  a  compact  of  this 
description  with  such  dangerous  characters  as  the  run 
aways.  They  were  prejudiced  against  the  measure, 
but  victory  in  the  undertaking,  in  which  they  had 
engaged,  was  so  earnestly  coveted,  that  they  wrere 
tempted  to  join  hands  even  with  Howe,  Little,  Wil 
ton,  and  other  desperate  fellows.  When  a  person  has 
once  gone  astray,  the  inducements  to  go  farther  in 
crease.  But  Raymond  and  his  friends  were  not  quite 
willing  to  pledge  themselves  in  advance  to  measures 
which  they  were  riot  allowed  to  understand  ;  and  they 
finally  agreed  to  bind  themselves  to  secrecy,  in  regard 
to  the  nature  of  the  scheme,  if  Howe  would  explain  it 
on  these  terms,  and  then  engage  in  it  if  it  were  not 
too  wicked.  The  party  returned  to  the  foremast,  and 
Raymond  stated  their  position. 


112  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

"  That  won't  go  down,"  promptly  replied  Howe, 
with  his  bullying,  self-sufficient  air.  "  We  are  to  tell 
you  what  our  plan  is,  and  let  you  adopt  it  or  not,  as 
you  please  !  No,  sir  !  " 

"We  pledge  ourselves  beforehand  to  keep  your 
secret,  whether  we  join  with  you  or  not." 

"  We  won't  trust  you." 

"  Very  well,"  added  Raymond,  decidedly.  "  Noth 
ing  more  need  be  said.  Come,  fellows." 

The  leader  of  the  mild  party  turned  on  his  heel,  and 
moved  aft,  followed  by  his  adherents. 

"  What  do  you  suppose  they  mean  to  do  ? "  asked 
Lindsley,  as  they  halted  under  the  skylight,  near  the 
middle  of  the  steerage. 

"  I  don't  know  ;  but  it  must  be  something  desperate 
to  compel  the  principal  to  put  back,"  replied  Raymond. 
"  It  may  be  to  make  a  few  auger-holes  in  the  bottom 
of  the  ship." 

"  I  wouldn't  do  anything  of  that  sort,"  added  Linds 
ley,  shaking  his  head. 

"  No  matter  what  it  is ;  we  offered  to  do  the  fair 
thing." 

"  Suppose  you  had  agreed  to  keep  still,  and  they 
had  proposed  to  bore  holes  in  the  bottom  of  the  ship ; 
would  you  have  kept  your  promise,  and  said  nothing 
about  it?  "  asked  Lindsley. 

"  I  would  not  have  let  them  do  it ;  and  then  there 
would  have  been  nothing  to  conceal,"  answered  Ray 
mond. 

"  Precisely  so !  That's  a  good  idea.  Why  not 
agree  to  their  proposition,  and  then,  if  they  mean  to 
do  anything  which  endangers  the  ship,  we  can  easily 
prevent  them  from  doing  it,"  said  Lindsley,  who  was 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  113 

exceedingly  curious  to  know  what  the  runaways 
wished  to  do. 

Others  were  affected  with  the  same  desire,  and 
their  curiosity  was  rapidly  overcoming  their  pru 
dence.  While  they  were  discussing  the  question, 
Hyde  and  his  party,  seeing  that  Raymond  and  his 
associates  had  withdrawn  from  the  runaways,  came 
to  the  spot,  and  disturbed  the  conference  with  irrele 
vant  questions.  If  all  the  mild  mutineers  could  be 
induced  to  cling  together,  they  could  easily  overrule 
Howe  and  his  party.  Just  then,  there  was  not  that 
unity  which  alone  insures  success.  There  were 
actually  three  parties  in  the  steerage,  and  it  was 
necessary  to  reconcile  them,  or  the  rebellion  would 
end  in  an  ignominious  failure.  But  this  was  found 
to  be  quite  impossible,  so  far  as  Hyde  and  his  party 
were  concerned  ;  for  if  the  boatswain's  call  had  sound 
ed  at  that  moment,  they  wrould  have  returned  to  their 
duty,  if  permitted  to  do  so.  Raymond  would  not  con 
sent  to  make  terms  with  Howe,  without  the  concur 
rence  of  all  the  others,  including  Hyde. 

Howe  was  quite  as  much  disgusted  with  the  situa 
tion  as  any  of  the  milder  rebels.  He  had  hoped  and 
expected  to  drag  them  into  any  desperate  scheme 
which  might  be  adopted,  and  after  Raymond  and  his 
party  retired,  he  looked  rather  blankly  at  his  friends. 

"  They  are  nothing  but  babies  —  little  spoonies  !  " 
said  he,  contemptuously.  "  It  isn't  safe  t6  do  anything 
with  them." 

"  Nor  without  them,"  suggested  Spencer. 

"  I  don't  believe  that,"  added  Little.  "  They  are  in 
for  it  already.  They  will  be  held  responsible  for 
8 


114  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OK 

anything  done  below,  as  well  as  we.  Let's  go  on  with 
the  job,  just  as  we  intended." 

After  considerable  discussion,  the  suggestion  of  the 
little  villain  was  adopted,  with  a  modification,  how 
ever,  proposed  by  himself,  by  which  the  whole  party 
were  to  be  implicated  in  the  mischief.  No  time  was 
to  be  lost,  for  a  portion  of  the  faithful,  who  appeared 
still  to  be  having  a  good  time  on  deck,  would  soon 
come  below  to  turn  in.  Howe  and  Little  went  to 
the  main  scuttle,  which  opened  into  the  hold,  and 
raised  it. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do?"  asked  Raymond. 

u  We  are  going  to  hide  in  the  hold,  just  for  the  fun 
of  the  thing,"  replied  Little.  "  Won't  you  come  down 
with  us?" 

"  That's  not  a  bad  idea,"  suggested  Lindsley. 
"When  they  come  down  to  look  for  us,  they  won't 
find  us.  That  will  make  a  sensation,  at  least,  and 
then  we  shall  not  be  entirely  ignored." 

"Are  you  going  to  stay  there  all  night?"  inquired 
Raymond. 

"Yes  —  why  not?"  answered  Lindsley.  "  It  is  not 
quite  so  comfortable  a  place  to  sleep  as  the  mess- 
rooms  ;  but  we  can  stand  it  for  one  night." 

Even  the  mild  rebels,  Hyde  and  Johnson,  were 
pleased  with  the  plan,  for  it  looked  like  an  adventure. 
The  persuasions  of  Lindsley  induced  them  to  yield 
whatever  scruples  they  had.  It  would  be  a  rich  thing 
to  have  the  principal  or  the  officers  come  down  into 
the  steerage,  and  find  it  empty.  There  was  still  a 
chance  to  make  the  principal  do  something,  even  if  it 
were  only  to  call  them  up  for  punishment ;  for  any 
thing  seemed  better  than  being  entirely  ignored. 


YOUNG  AMERICA    IN    GERMANY.  1 15 

Little  and  Howe,  each  with  a  lantern  in  his  hand, 
which  he  had  taken  from  the  lamp-room  forward,  led 
the  way  into  the  hold.  All  the  members  of  the  three 
parties  followed  ;  the  mild  rebels  regarding  the  move 
ment  rather  as  a  piece  of  fun  than  as  anything  which 
added  to  the  guilt  they  had  already  incurred.  When 
the  last  one  had  descended  the  ladder,  Howe  put  on 
the  scuttle,  and  the  steerage  was  "  like  some  banquet 
hall  deserted,"  for  the  stewards  were  either  on  deck 
or  in  the  kitchen,  where  they  spent  their  leisure 
hours, 

As  soon  as  the  rebels  were  all  in  the  hold,  they  sep 
arated  into  three  parties  again,  as  they  had  been  in  the 
steerage.  Little,  with  his  lantern,  went  forward,  where 
he  was  soon  joined  by  the  rest  of  the  runaways  ;  Hyde 
and  his  companions  went  aft ;  and  Raymond's  party 
remained  near  the  main  scuttle.  The  hole!  was  divid 
ed  into  store-rooms,  forward  and  aft,  while  the  space 
amidships  was  devoted  to  the  stowage  of  boxes,  bar 
rels,  water  casks,  and  other  articles.  The  water  tanks 
were  near  the  heel  of  the  foremast,  where  Howe  and 
his  party  had  located  themselves.  They  contained  the 
entire  supply  of  the  ship,  while  she  was  going  from 
port  to  port,  or  lying  in  harbor.  They  had  been  fitted 
up  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Lowington.  The  water 
was  drawn  from  them  by  means  of  a  pump  in  the 
kitchen,  the  pipe  of  which  could  be  adjusted  to  either 
of  them  with  screw  connections. 

"  We  must  do  the  job  quick,  and  get  out  of  this 
place,  or  we  may  be  fastened  down  here,  as  we  were 
in  the  steerage,"  said  Little,  in  a  low  tone,  though  he 
need  not  have  troubled  himself  to  use  this  precaution. 


Il6  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

for  the  dashing  of  the  sea  against  the  side  of  the  vessel 
made  so  much  noise,  that  those  who  were  twenty  feet 
distance  could  not  have  heard  him. 

"  Are  you  sure  we  are  not  burning  our  own  fin 
gers?  "  asked  Ibbotson.  "My  experience  in  the 
Josephine,  when  we  were  short  of  water,  taught  me 
what  it  was  to  be  without  it,  especially  when  you 
have  to  feed  on  salt  horse  and  hard  bread." 

"  That's  so,"  added  Spencer. 

"  Can't  we  save  some  for  ourselves?"  inquired 
Wilton. 

"What's  the  use?  We  shall  return  to  Havre  as 
soon  as  the  officers  find  that  the  water  tanks  are 
empty,"  added  Little. 

"But  why  not  save  some?"  persisted  Wilton. 
"  There  are  lots  of  bottles  on  the  ballast,  and  a  tun 
nel  on  the  vinegar  barrel.  Hurry  up,  and  fill  a  bottle 
for  each  fellow." 

A  dozen  of  the  rebels  rushed  aft,  and  procured  the 
bottles,  while  Little  started  the  faucets  which  were 
used  in  drawing  off  the  water,  when  it  was  necessary 
to  clean  out  the  tanks,  or  for  use  when  the  pump 
above  was  out  of  order.  This  was  the  precious  scheme 
by  which  the  intense  rebels  intended  to  compel  the  prin 
cipal  to  return  to  port  immediately.  There  could  be 
no  doubt  that  it  would  be  an  effectual  one,  for  with  no 
fresh  water  the  ship  could  not  remain  a  single  day  at 
sea  without  causing  great  discomfort,  if  not  actual 
suffering,  to  those  on  board.  This  happy  expedient 
had  been  devised  by  Little,  and  it  was  diabolical 
enough  to  be  the  invention  of  his  fertile  genius. 

The  bottles  were  brought  up,  and  with  the  aid  of 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN   GERMANY.  II*J 

the  tunnel,  a  dozen  and  a  half  of  them  were  filled  — 
just  enough  for  the  Howe  party,  for  they  did  not 
intend  to  look  out  for  the  comfort  of  those  who 
would  not  fully  join  them  in  their  plans.  The  water 
rushed  from  the  tanks,  and  flowed  away  into  the 
ballast  underneath.  The  faucets  were  large,  and 
in  a  short  time  the  tanks  were  empty.  As  the  ship 
rolled  each  way,  almost  the  last  drop  in  them  was 
poured  out. 

"  Now  let  us  get  out  of  here  before  we  are  fastened 
in,"  said  Little,  after  he  had  adjusted  the  faucets. 

"  There  will  be  a  sweet  row  when  they  find  out 
the  tanks  are  empty,"  added  Howe,  fully  believing  that 
the  party  had  now  done  something  to  make  them 
selves  felt. 

"  It  will  please  me  to  hear  them  howl,"  continued 
Wilton. 

"  Keep  your  bottles  out  of  sight,"  said  Howe. 
"  Don't  let  those  fellows  see  them,  or  they  will  smell 
a  mice." 

"  Don't  you  suppose  they  know  what  we  have  been 
doing?  "  inquired  Monroe. 

"How  should  they?  The  swashing  of  the  sea 
made  so  much  noise  they  couldn't  hear  the  water 
running  out,"  answered  Little. 

"  Don't  let  on." 

The  party  concealed  their  bottles  under  their  cloth 
ing,  and  moved  towards  the  ladder  by  which  they  had 
descended. 

"What  were  you  doing  with  all  those  bottles?" 
asked  Raymond. 

"  What  bottles?  "  demanded  Little. 


IlS  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

"  We  saw  you  take  a  lot  of  bottles  from  the  ballast 
there,"  replied  Raymond,  whose  party  had  been  dis 
cussing  the  probable  use  to  which  they  were  to  be  ap 
plied,  though  they  reached  no  satisfactory  conclusion. 

"  Well,  I'll  tell  you  what  they  were  for,"  answered 
Little.  "  We  were  going  to  have  some  fun,  pelting 
them  with  stones,  just  as  we  used  to  play  duck  on 
shore,  you  know  ;  but  we  concluded  not  to  do  so,  lest 
the  stewards  in  the  kitchen  should  hear  the  noise,  and 
make  a  row  about  it —  that's  all." 

"Where  are  you  going  now?"  inquired  Lindsley, 
who  was  not  quite  satisfied  with  this  lucid  explanation 
—  as  though  fellows  engaged  in  a  mutiny  would  care 
to  amuse  themselves  pelting  bottles  ! 

"  We  have  just  made  up  our  minds  that  it  is  not 
quite  safe  to  stay  down  here  any  longer." 

"Why  not?" 

"  Suppose  they  should  fasten  us  in  ?  " 

"Suppose  they  should?  I  thought  you  intended  to 
stay  down  here,"  said  Raymond,  who  concluded  that 
the  runaways  were  very  fickle  in  their  purposes. 

"  We  did  intend  to  do  so  ;  but  we  hadn't  looked 
over  all  the  ground.  It  has  just  occurred  to  us  that 
the  thirty  lambs,  who  kiss  the  rod  that  smites  them, 
would  not  come  into  the  steerage  to-night.  It  will 
take  about  the  whole  of  them  to  stand  watch,  and  if 
any  of  them  go  below,  they  will  sleep  on  the  floor 
of  the  main  and  after  cabins,  where  they  cannot  be 
corrupted  by  such  wicked  fellows  as  you  and  I,  Ray 
mond.  So,  you  see,  if  we  can't  get  up  any  sensa 
tion  by  sleeping  on  the  ballast,  what's  the  use  of  mak 
ing  yourself  uncomfortable  for  nothing.  That's  the 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN   GERMANY.  119 

idea.     Let  us  go  into  the  steerage,  and  turn  in  for  the 
night." 

"I  don't  believe  in  backing  out,"  said  Raymond, 
not  very  well  pleased  to  hear  Little  class  him  with 
himself. 

"  Don't  back  out,  then,  my  dear  fellow.  Stay  here 
all  night,  and  have  a  good  time,"  added  the  little 
villain,  as  he  ascended  the  ladder,  and  opened  the 
scuttle. 

"  I'm  not  going  to  stay  here  if  the  rest  don't,"  inter 
posed  Lindsley ;  and  all  the  Howe  party  followed  the 
runaways. 

Hyde's  party,  seeing  that  all  the  others  were  retreat 
ing,  came  to  the  ladder,  and  asked  for  an  explanation. 
Howe  replied  that  the  runaways  were  sick  of  the 
game,  and  had  returned  to  the  steerage  ;  and  the  third 
squad  followed  the  example  of  the  other  two.  The 
hold  was  left  as  empty  of  human  beings  as  the  tanks 
were  of  water. 

By  this  time  the  watch  on  deck  had  been  sta 
tioned,  and  the  rest  of  the  crew  were  permitted  to 
retire.  As  there  was  no  danger  that  the  mutineers 
would  escape  from  the  ship,  the  grating  was  removed 
from  the  main  hatch ;  but  a  portion  of  the  watch,  in 
cluding  Peaks  and  the  head  steward,  were  posted  near 
it,  to  prevent  any  seaman  not  wearing  the  white  rib 
bon  of  the  Order  of  the  Faithful  from  coming  on 
deck.  Fifteen  of  the  thirty  who  had  done  their  duty 
came  below  to  turn  in.  Their  appearance  created  a 
sensation  among  the  disaffected.  Now  they  would 
ascertain  what  had  been  said  on  deck  about  their  re 
fusal  to  answer  the  call.  Now  they  could  hear,  second- 


120  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

handed,  the  sermon  which  the  principal  had  preached, 
and  which  they  had  heard  the  faithful  applaud.  Now, 
they  could  learn  what  terrible  fate  had  been  marked 
out  for  the  rebels. 

When  the  faithful  came  into  the  steerage,  the  first 
thing  the  rebels  noticed  was  the  white  ribbons  which 
adorned  their  breasts.  Of  course  they  wanted  to  know 
what  it  meant ;  but  they  felt  a  little  embarrassed  under 
the  circumstances,  and  did  not  like  to  ask  direct 
questions  at  first.  They  wished  and  expected  the 
faithful  to  open  the  subject  by  telling  them  what  a 
mistake  they  had  made  in  not  being  "good."  But  the 
lambs  did  not  say  a  word  to  them  ;  did  not  appear  to 
notice  them,  or  to  indicate  by  their  actions  that  any 
unusual  event  was  in  progress  on  board.  There  was 
a  great  deal  of  silent  skirmishing  in  the  steerage. 
Raymond,  who  had  always  been  pretty  intimate  with 
Tremere,  as  they  both  berthed  in  the  same  mess-room, 
continually  threw  himself  in  the  way  of  the  latter,  in 
order  to  tempt  him  to  speak  of  the  evening's  occur 
rences.  Tremere  was  as  silent  as  a  marble  statue, 
though  he  looked  as  composed  and  good-natured  as 
ever ;  indeed,  rather  more  so  than  usual. 

"How?s  the  weather  on  deck,  Tremere?"  finally 
asked  Raymond,  when  no  hint  would  induce  the  faith 
ful  one  to  speak  first. 

"  It  looks  like  a  change.  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  all 
hands  were  called  to  furl  top-gallant  sails  and  reef 
topsails  before  eight  bells,"  answered  Tremere. 

"  How  did  you  get  along  working  ship?" 

"  For  further  particulars,  inquire  of  the  principal," 
replied  he. 


YOUNG    AMERICA    IN    GERMANY.  121 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that?  " 
"  Speech  is  silver,  silence  is  golden." 
"  Humph  !  "  sneered  Raymond,  puzzled  by  the  sin 
gular  replies  of  his  friend. 

"  Yours  truly,"  laughed  Tremere. 

"Why  don't  you  speak?" 

"  I  haven't  learned  my  piece." 

"  You  have  learned  a  piece  of  impudence." 

"  '  He  that  hath  but  impudence 

To  all  things  has  a  fair  pretence.'" 

"  Are  you  mad,  Tremere  ?  " 

"  '  Though  this  be  madness,  yet  there's  method  in 
it.' " 

"  Qi"t  y°ur  quotations !  What's  that  on  your 
coat?" 

"  A  coat-ation." 

"  If  you  are  mad  with  me,  Tremere,  say  so." 

"  i  I  am  not  mad  I  no,  no,  I  am  not  mad  ! ' "  shouted 
the  member  of  the  Order  of  the  Faithful,  with  appro 
priate  gestures  and  expression. 

"  Come,  quit  fooling  !     Can't  you  talk  sense?  " 

"  I  can  and  will ;  for 

'  Want  of  decency  is  want  of  sense.' 

'  In  college  halls,  in  ancient  times,  there  dwelt 
A  sage  called  Discipline.'  " 

But  you  didn't  go  to  school  to  the  old  fellow,  Ray 
mond." 

"  I  believe  you  have  lost  your  wits  !  Now,  be  rea 
sonable,  and  talk  like  a  sensible  fellow.  What  is 
this?"  asked  Raymond,  putting  his  finger  on  the  white 
ribbon. 


122  DOWN    THE   RHINE,    OR 

«  A  ribbon." 

"What  is  it  for?" 

"  For  me." 

"Who  gave  it  to  you?" 

"  The  person  who  had  it  next  before  I  did." 

"  Humph  !  How  silly  you  are  !  Where  did-  you 
get  it?" 

«  On  deck." 

"  But  who  gave  it  to  you." 

"  The  donor  thereof." 

"  Who  is  the  donor  thereof." 

"  The  one  who  gave  it  to  me." 

"  If  you  won't  answer  me,  say  so.  Don't  try  to 
make  a  fool  of  me." 

"  I  usurp  not  nature's  kindly  office." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  insult  me  ?  " 

"  No  ;  I  mean  to  turn  in,  for  I  may  be  called  before 
I  have  had  my  snooze  out ; "  and  Tremere,  yawning 
as  if  he  were  bored  and  very  indifferent,  walked  into 
the  mess-room  which  contained  his  berth. 

Those  who  had  listened  to  the  conversation  were 
very  much  amused  by  it,  and  the  rest  of  the  Faithful 
took  their  cue  from  Tremere.  Not  one  of  them  would 
answer  a  question  or  give  a  particle  of  information  in 
regard  to  what  had  transpired  on  deck.  All  of  them 
appeared  to  be  astonishingly  good-natured,  and  no 
one  seemed  to  be  disconcerted  by  the  rebellion,  except 
the  rebels. 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  123 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

SHORT   OF  WATER. 

«  ^T^VHEY  may  play  bluff  as  much  as  they  like  ;  but 
you  had  better  believe  there  will  be  a  sensa 
tion  in  the  morning,  if  not  before,"  said  Howe,  —  after 
the  fifteen  members  of  the  Order  of  the~ Faithful  had 
retired  to  their  rooms,  —  addressing  Raymond,  who 
manifested  no  little  vexation  at  the  cavalier  manner  in 
which  he  had  been  treated  by  his  friend  and  mess 
mate. 

"  What  will  that  be?"  asked  the  milder  rebel. 

"  Wait,  and  you  will  see,"  replied  Howe,  mysteri 
ously.  "  We  didn't  go  down  into  the  hold  for 
nothing." 

"  What  did  you  go  down  for?" 

"  You  will  find  out  soon." 

"  Well,  I  want  you  to  understand  that  I  didn't  have 
anything  to  do  with  your  plots  and  schemes,"  added 
Raymond,  cautiously. 

"  You  didn't!  Who  said  you  didn't?  I  say,  Ray 
mond,  you  are  a  good  fellow  to  kiss  the  hand  that 
smites  you  ;  and  I  hope  you  will  keep  on  kissing  it. 
What  did  you  try  to  pump  Tremere  for,  after  you  saw 
what  he  was  up  to  ?  " 

"  I  wanted  to  know  what  he  was  up  to." 


124  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

"  Don't  you  know?  It  is  a  game  of  bluff.  Those 
fellows  pretend  to  be  indifferent  to  what  we  are 
doing." 

"  They  certainly  seem  to  be  very  indifferent.  Have 
you  any  idea  what  that  white  ribbon  means?" 

"  Have  I?  Certainly  I  have.  Can't  you  see  through 
the  side  of  the  ship,  when  there's  a  port  in  it  ?  That 
ribbon  is  to  distinguish  the  lambs  from  the  black 
sheep,  like  you  and  me." 

"  Pooh  !     What's  the  use  of  that  ?  " 

"  So  that  the  officers  can  tell  them  in  the  dark  as 
well  as  at  noonday.  But  Little  has  given  those  fel 
lows  a  name  already.  He  calls  them  the  White 
Feathers.  We  must  laugh  at  them,  make  game  of 
them,  whip  them  with  their  own  weapons.  Hark  !  " 
said  Howe,  suddenly  turning  his  head  towards  the 
kitchen,  near  the  door  of  which  they  stood. 

"Whafs  the  matter?" 

"  They  are  trying  the  pump,"  replied  Howe,  as 
both  of  them  plainly  heard  the  sucking,  "  squilching" 
noise  made  by  the  copper  pump,  from  which  the  cook 
was  trying  to  draw  water  from  the  tanks  below. 

"What  of  it?"  demanded  Raymond,  who  did  not 
see  anything  remarkable  in  the  circumstance. 

"  Never  mind  ;  you  will  find  out  soon  enough,"  an 
swered  the  chief  runaway,  as  he  left  his  companion 
thoroughly  mystified,  and  not  a  little  alarmed ;  for  it 
was  evident  that  some  terrible  mischief  had  been  per 
petrated. 

The  pump  sucked  and  groaned  under  the  efforts  of 
the  cook,  who  had  been  directed  to  make  a  pot  of 
coffee  for  the  use  of  the  watch,  and  was  now  trying 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  125 

to  obtain  water  for  that  purpose.  None  would  come, 
and  it  was  plain  to  him  that  the  pump  was  out 
of  order.  Taking  a  bucket  and  a  lantern,  he  passed 
into  the  steerage,  and  opened  the  scuttle.  The  run 
aways  observed  him  with  intense  interest ;  for  the 
time  had  come  when  they  were  to  "  make  themselves 
felt."  The  cook  went  down  into  the  hold,  and  was 
absent  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  He  returned  with 
an  empty  bucket  in  his  hand,  and  hastened  on  deck 
with  the  alarming  intelligence  that  the  water  tanks 
were  all  empty,  which  he  communicated  to  the  head 
steward. 

As  the  tanks  had  been  filled  just  before  the  ship  left 
the  dock  at  Havre,  the  head  steward  was  not  willing 
to  believe  the  startling  report.  He  went  into  the  hold 
himself  with  the  cook.  By  this  time  the  runaways 
thought  it  prudent  to  keep  out  of  sight,  and  all  of 
them  retired  to  their  rooms,  and  most  of  them  to  their 
berths.  The  head  steward  tried  the  tanks,  and  was 
satisfied  with  the  truth  of  the  report.  When  the  ship 
rolled,  the  faucets  on  the  lee  side  poured  out  a  few 
drops  of  water.  Sounded  with  a  mallet,  the  tanks 
gave  forth  only  a  hollow,  empty  sound.  The  steward 
was  astonished  and  mortified  at  the  discovery,  for  he 
was  responsible  for  keeping  the  ship  supplied  with 
water,  as  well  as  with  all  other  necessaries  in  the 
culinary  department.  He  inquired  very  particularly 
in  regard  to  the  state  of  the  faucets  when  the  cook  had 
first  come  below  to  draw  water,  and  was  assured  that 
they  were  firmly  closed.  He  lifted  up  some  of  the 
ballast,  and  saw  that  it  was  wet.  He  went  to  the 
well,  where  all  the  leakage  of  the  ship  is  collected  to 
be  thrown  up  by  the  pumps. 


126  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

The  ship  was  regularly  pumped  out  twice  a  day, 
and  this  duty  had  been  performed  just  before  the  crew 
were  piped  to  supper.  There  should  have  been  but 
little  water  in  the  well ;  but  there  was  enough  to  sat 
isfy  the  head  steward  that  the  contents  of  the  water 
tanks  had  flowed  into  it.  Dipping  one  of  his  fingers 
into  the  water,  he  tasted  it,  and  its  freshness  was  an 
other  convincing  proof  of  the  fact. 

"  Has  any  one  but  the  cooks  and  stewards  been  in 
the  hold  ?  "  he  inquired. 

"  Not  that  I  know  of,"  replied  the  cook.  "  I  haven't 
been  out  of  the"  kitchen  since  supper." 

"  Over  forty  of  the  students  have  been  in  the  steer 
age  since  the  ship  sailed." 

"  The  stewards  told  me  that  the  boys  were  stand 
ing  out." 

u  In  my  opinion,  some  of  them  have  been  in  the 
hold,  and  started  those  faucets." 

"You  don't  think  they'd  do  that  —  do  you?"  ex 
claimed  the  cook. 

"  Some  of  them  would  sink  the  ship,  if  they  dared. 
I  think  the  principal  did  not  manage  this  affair  just 
right.  He  ought  to  have  seized  the  young  rascals  up 
to  the  rigging,  and  kept  them  there  till  they  were  ready 
to  do  duty  without  grumbling.  Now  let  us  see  if 
there  is  water  in  any  of  the  casks." 

"  No,  sir  ;  the  boatswain  broke  'em  out,  and  cleaned 
the  casks,  while  we  were  in  the  clock." 

The  head  steward  took  the  mallet,  and  sounded  upon 
the  head  of  each  cask.  They  were  all  empty  ;  and  it 
was  clear  enough  that  there  was  not  a  drop  of  fresh 
water  in  the  hold,  except  that  which  was  already 


YOUNG    AMERICA    IN    GERMANY.  127 

mingled  with  the  foul  bilge-water  under  the  ballast. 
The  ship  was  going  to  sea,  and  both  clouds  and 
barometer  indicated  heavy  weather.  The  steward 
was  troubled,  and-'  immediately  hastened  to  the  princi 
pal  with  the  alarming  intelligence.  He  found  Mr. 
Lowington  in  the  main  cabin,  and  announced  the  dis 
covery  he  had  made. 

u  It  is  a  scheme  to  drive  the  ship  back  to  port," 
added  the  principal,  after  he  had  satisfied  himself,  by 
questioning  the  steward,  that  the  tanks  had  really  been 
filled  while  the  ship  was  in  the  dock. 

"  Well,  sir,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  plan  must  be 
successful,"  added  the  steward,  with  a  grim  smile. 

"  Doubtless  it  will  be ;  but  we  will  not  return  to 
Havre.  We  shall  be  off  Cherbourg  in  the  morning, 
and  we  will  make  a  harbor  there.  But  there  must 
be  some  water  on  board." 

"  Only  what  is  in  the  water-jars,  sir.  Possibly  there 
are  ten  or  fifteen  gallons  in  all  of  them." 

There  was  a  large  water  jar  in  the  steerage,  and  one 
in  each  of  the  two  cabins,  which  had  been  filled  just 
before  the  ship  sailed.  The  steward  was  directed  to 
draw  them  off,  and  save  the  water,  to  be  dealt  out  as 
sparingly  as  the  emergency  might  require.  There  were 
several  tons  of  ice  in  the  store-room,  which  had  been 
filled  at  Havre ;  and  there  was  no  danger  of  any  suf 
fering  for  the  want  of  the  needed  element.  The  prin 
cipal  went  on  deck  with  the  steward,  and  observed 
that  the  wind  was  freshening,  with  a  decidedly  nasty 
look  to  windward.  It  might  not  be  possible  to  go 
into  Cherbourg  the  next  morning  with  safety ;  and 
Mr.  Lowington  did  not  like  the  idea  of  being  driven 


128  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

into  port  before  the  mutiny  had  been  suppressed. 
The  Josephine  was  half  a  mile  to  windward,  under 
easy  sail ;  and,  in  the  present  state  of  the  sea,  it  was 
an  easy  matter  to  communicate  with  her,  as  it  might 
not  be  a  few  hours  later.  He  therefore  explained  the 
situation  to  Captain  Shuffles,  —  who  was  still  on  deck 
with  Grace  and  Paul,  too  nervous  and  too  anxious  to 
retire,  —  and  directed  him  to  call  all  hands. 

The  boatswain  piped  the  call.  Peaks  and  the  head 
steward  at  the  main  hatch,  in  accordance  with  their 
instructions,  would  permit  none  who  did  not  wear  the 
white  ribbon  of  the  Order  of  the  Faithful  to  come  on 
deck.  Hyde  and  his  party  proposed  to  return  to  their 
duty.  They  had  had  mutiny  enough,  and  their  leader, 
speaking  for  the  whole,  asked  permission  to  be  re 
ported  to  the  principal.  The  steward  bore  the  message 
to  him,  while  the  twelve  penitents  waited  at  the  lad 
der.  The  runaways  remained  in  their  rooms ;  but 
Raymond  made  an  ineffectual  effort  to  induce  them  to 
be  firm. 

"  Come  up  ! "  said  Peaks,  when  the  principal  ap 
peared  at  the  hatch,  and  gave  the  order. 

"  We  wish  to  return  to  our  duty,  sir,"  Hyde  began ; 
"  we  are  very  sorry  for  our  disobedience,  and  are  will 
ing  to  take  the  consequences." 

"  How  many  of  you  are  there?"  asked  Mr.  Low- 
ington. 

'*  Twelve  in  our  party,  sir." 

"  Will  you  conform,  in  every  respect,  to  the  require 
ments  of  the  present  occasion?  " 

"  We  will,  sir." 

"  But  they  must  join  the  order,"  interposed  Grace, 


YOUNG  AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  1 29 

who  had  accompanied  Paul  to  the  waist.  "  They  are 
not  entitled  to  the  white  ribbon,  for  they  have  come 
in  at  the  eleventh  hour." 

Mr.  Lowington  smiled,  and  directed  the  penitents 
to  repair  to  the  quarter-deck. 

"  I  am  so  glad  they  have  yielded  !  "  said  Grace. 

"  So  am  I.  You  can  let  them  take  the  second  de 
gree  to-night,"  laughed  Paul. 

"  Yes  ;  and  that  shall  be  a  blue  ribbon.  The  next 
ones  that  come  shall  have  the  yellow  ribbon,  and  be 
the  first  degree.  That's  all  the  different  colors  I  have," 
added  Grace,  as  she  hastened  to  her  state-room  to  pro 
cure  the  material  for  the  decoration  of  the  penitents, 
who  were  standing  before  the  principal,  abaft  the 
mizzen-mast. 

"  Are  you  really  sorry  for  what  you  have  done,  or 
do  you  back  out  because  your  plan  does  not  work 
well?"  asked  the  principal  of  the  delinquents. 

"  I  am  really  sorry  for  it,  sir,"  answered  Hyde ; 
and  there  is  not  a  doubt  that  he  spoke  the  simple 
truth. 

"  Have  you  been  into  the  hold  this  evening?" 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  Hyde,  promptly. 

"  For  what  purpose  ?  " 

"  We  only  went  because  the  others  did  ;  but  we  did 
not  stay  there  long." 

"  Have  you  meddled  with  the  water  tanks?  " 

44  No,  sir." 

"  Has  any  one?" 

"  I  do  not  know,  sir.  Down  in  the  steerage,  we 
were  divided  into  three  parties,  because  we  did  not 
agree  very  well ; "  and  Hyde  explained  the  views 
9 


I3O  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

of  each  party,  and  the  localities  which  they  had  occu 
pied  during  their  visit  to  the  hold. 

Mr.  Lowington  readily  comprehended  the  object  of 
the  runaways,  when  they  induced  the  other  two  parties 
to  visit  the  hold.  In  fact,  he  saw  the  whole  truth  just 
as  it  was  ;  that  the  Howe  party  had  made  the  mischief 
from  the  beginning,  and  that  the  others  were  the  vic 
tims  of  their  cunning  schemes.  He  believed  that  his 
plan  was  working  well,  since  it  was  eliminating  the 
comparatively  innocent  from  the  guilty. 

"  You  may  return  to  your  duty,  on  this  condition  — 
that  you  have  no  communication  with  either  the  Howe 
or  the  Raymond  party,"  added  Mr.  Lowington.  "  You 
will  not  inform  them  in  regard  to  anything  which  has 
transpired,  or  may  transpire,  on  deck.  Do  you  ac 
cept  the  conditions?" 

"  I  do,  certainly,  sir,"  replied  Hyde. 

Others  gave  the  required  pledge,  astonished  to  be 
restored  to  their  duty  on  such  mild  terms.  They  took 
their  stations  with  the  crew.  But  Grace  Arbuckle 
soon  appeared  with  the  blue  ribbons,  and  Hyde  was 
conducted  to  her  by  the  commodore. 

"  I  confer  upon  you  the  second  degree  of  the  Order 
'of  the  Faithful,  and  decorate  you  with  the  blue  ribbon. 
When  you  have  proved  yourself  faithful  to  your  duty, 
and  worthy  of  promotion,  you  will  be  advanced  to  the 
third  degree,  the  emblem  of  which  is  the  white  rib 
bon,"  said  Grace,  as  she  pinned  the  decoration  upon 
his  breast. 

"  Thank  you,"  replied  Hyde,  rather  bewildered  by 
the  ceremony. 

The  rest  of  the  penitents  were  brought  up,  and,  in 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN   GERMANY.  131 

like  manner,  initiated  into  the  Order  of  the  Faithful. 
Of  course  they  wanted  to  know  more  about  it,  and  the 
new  organization  was  explained  to  them. 

"  I'm  glad  you  backed  out,  Hyde,"  said  Tremere. 
"  When  are  the  rest  coming?" 

"  I  don't  know  that  they  are  coming  at  all.  I  got 
enough  of  it." 

"  What  do  those  fellows  want  to  do?  " 

"  Get  their  rights." 

"  Well,  they'll  get  them  when  they  return  to  their 
duty,  and  not  before,  unless  it  is  the  right  to  be  pun 
ished  for  their  disobedience,"  added  Tremere. 

"  I  still  think  it  was  not  fair  to  give  up  the  trip  to 
the  Rhine,  after  the  promise  that  we  should  go,  though 
it  was  a  great  mistake  of  mine  to  refuse  to  do  duty," 
added  Hyde. 

"  Who  says  the  trip  is  given  up?" 

"  All  the  fellows  ;  "  and  Hyde  rehearsed  the  argu 
ments  which  had  been  used  to  sustain  the  proposition. 

"  As  you  are  now  a  member  of  the  Order  of  the 
Faithful,  you  may  know  its  secrets,"  laughed  Tre 
mere.  "Mr.  Lowington  made  an  explanation  to 
those  who  did  not  take  the  law  into  their  own 
hands ; "  and  he  proceeded  to  give  the  substance  of 
this  statement. 

Hyde  was  all  the  more  disgusted  with  the  course 
he  and  his  friends  had  adopted,  and  was  fully  resolved 
to  do  his  duty  in  future,  whatever  his  personal  opinions 
might  be:  The  mildest  of  the  mutineers  were  thus 
disposed  of,  and  a  dozen  pair  of  hands  added  to  the 
force  of  the  ship. 

While  this  conversation  was  in  progress,  the  Young 


132  DOWN    THE    RHINE,   OR 

» 

America  had  been  headed  towards  the  Josephine. 
Peaks  had  fired  one  of  the  guns  on  the  forecastle, 
which  was  the  signal,  in  the  night,  for  the  consort 
to  heave  to.  Hyde's  party  had  been  restored  to  their 
several  stations,  while  the  volunteer  officers  still  filled 
the  places  of  those  who  did  not  answer  the  boatswain's 
call.  The  Josephine  promptly  obeyed  the  signal,  and 
the  ship  ran  up  to  her,  as  near  as  it  was  prudent  to 
go,  backed  her  main-topsail,  lying  to  on  her  quarter. 
The  first  cutter  wras  manned  and  lowered,  vacancies 
in  her  crew  being  filled  with  the  stoutest  hands  avail 
able.  A  dozen  breakers,  or  kegs,  used  for  boat  service, 
were  put  on  board,  and  with  Peaks  to  assist  in  the  stow 
age,  the  cutter  shoved  off,  and  pulled  for  the  schooner. 

The  officer  in  charge  of  the  boat  explained  to  Mr. 
Fluxion  what  had  occurred  on  board  of  the  ship,  and 
the  twelve  breakers,  with  six  more  belonging  to  the 
consort,  were  filled  and  stowed  in  the  boat,  which 
returned  without  delay  to  the  Young  America.  The 
cutter  was  hoisted  up,  and  again  the  squadron  stood 
on  its  course.  The  new  supply  of  water  was  imme 
diately  secured  under  lock  and  key,  in  one  of  the 
store-rooms.  The  quantity  was  still  very  meagre,  be 
ing  hardly. enough  for  two  days'  consumption  on  full 
allowance.  The  watch  below  was  again  dismissed. 
It  included  one  half  of  the  penitents,  who  were  beset 
by  Raymond's  party  with  questions  and  abuse ;  but 
they  were  true  to  their  pledge,  and  the  rebels  were 
none  the  wiser. 

The  noise  of  the  gun  and  of  the  lowering  of  the  cut 
ter  had  been  heard  by  the  runaways,  and  the  appear 
ance  of  the  eighteen  breakers,  as  they  were  passed 


YOUNG  AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  133 

down  into  the  hold,  was  the  assurance  of  another  fail 
ure  to  them. 

"  We  are  dished,"  said  Monroe,  as  the  forward 
officer  passed  down  the  kegs. 

"  Perhaps  we  are,  and  perhaps  we  are  not,"  replied 
Howe.  "  The  end  hasn't  come  yet." 

"  I  suppose  there  is  room  enough  in  the  run  for  the 
contents  of  all  those  breakers,"  added  Little. 

"  Hyde  and  the  rest  of  those  babies  have  returned 
to  their  duty,"  continued  Monroe,  who  was  always  the 
first  to  despond. 

"  No  matter  for  that ;  we  will  keep  on  this  tack  till 
something  happens,"  persisted  Howe.  "  By  this  time 
we  are  pretty  sure  of  being  left  behind  when  the  fel 
lows  go  to  Germany  ;  and  for  my  part,  as  Fluxion  is 
going  away,  I  think  that  is  the  best  thing  that  can 
happen  to  us.  We  shall  find  a  chance  to  strike  out 
on  our  own  hook." 

But  the  arrival  of  the  water  breakers  carried  con 
sternation  to  the  runaways,  whatever  they  said  and 
did.  They  were  tired  of  the  battle,  though,  if  any  of 
them  had  a  thought  of  repentance,  they  subdued  it. 
Raymond's  party  were  angry  at  the  defection  of  Hyde 
and  his  associates,  and  the  future  looked,  dark  and 
hopeless,  so  far  as  remedial  agencies  were  concerned, 
but  their  pride  still  prompted  them  to  hold  out. 
Wearied  with  anxiety  and  hope  deferred,  they  turned 
in  as  the  night  advanced. 

At  eight  bells,  all  hands  were  called  again.  The 
wind  was  blowing  half  a  gale,  and  the  starboard 
watch  had  taken  in  the  light  sails.  It  was  deemed 
advisable  still  further  to  shorten  sail,  and  a  reef  was 


134  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

put  in  the  topsails.  The  starboard  watch  then  turned 
in,  the  port  having  the  deck  till  four  in  the  morning. 
The  wind  came  in  heavy  gusts  from  the  south-west, 
and  shortly  after  midnight  it  began  to  veer  to  the 
west,  which  brought  up  a  dense  fog.  At  four  bells  in 
the  mid  watch,  the  wind  came  square  from  the  west 
in  heavy  squalls.  The  ship  went  about,  and  stood 
to  the  southward,  the  principal  intending  to  go  into 
Cherbourg  if  the  weather  would  permit. 

At  eight  bells,  when  the  morning  watch  was  called, 
another  reef  was  put  in  the  topsails.  At  daylight  the 
fog  was  too  dense  to  think  of  making  a  port,  and  the 
ship  tacked  again.  There  was  a  heavy  sea  running, 
but  everything  went  along  very  well.  Captain  Shuf 
fles  remained  on  deck  all  night,  but  no  emergency 
occurred  which  required  the  exercise  of  more  than 
ordinary  skill  and  energy.  The  wind  was  blowing  a 
gale,  though  not  a  very  severe  one.  All  the  students 
on  board  had  been  in  worse  weather,  and  it  produced 
no  excitement  whatever. 

At  seven  bells  in  the  "morning,  the  port  watch  was 
called  to  breakfast,  according  to  the  regular  routine 
of  the  ship.  The  meal  consisted  of  coffee,  beefsteak, 
fried  potatoes,  and  the  rolls  which  had  been  baked  the 
preceding  afternoon.  Peaks  and  the  head  steward 
were  in  the  steerage,  and  when  some  of  the  runaways 
appeared,  and  attempted  to  seat  themselves  at  the 
mess  tables,  they  were  forbidden  to  do  so.  Only 
those  decorated  with  white  or  blue  ribbons  were  al 
lowed  to  breakfast.  At  eight  bells  the  port  watch 
went  on  deck,  and  the  starboard,  relieved  from  duty, 
came  down  to  their  morning  meal,  when  the  tables 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  135 

had  been  reset.  A  fresh  supply  of  hot  steaks  and 
potatoes  was  brought  from  the  kitchen,  for  the  break 
fast  of  each  watch  was  cooked  separately,  and  they 
fared  precisely  as  the  other  watch  had.  The  rebels 
were  still  excluded  from  the  mess  tables,  and  violent 
was  the  grumbling  thereat. 

When  the  regular  breakfast  was  finished,  the  tables 
were  again  cleared,  and  the  mutineers  began  to  think 
they  were  to  be  starved  into  subjection  ;  but  they  were 
mistaken,  in  part,  at  least,  for  the  tables  were  again 
set.  This  time  there  were  no  hot  beefsteaks,  no  fresh 
rolls,  no  fried  potatoes,  no  coffee  —  nothing  but  cold 
corned  beef  and  hard  tack.  None  of  the  cooks  or 
stewards  said  anything,  no  one  made  any  remarks  of 
any  kind.  There  was  the  breakfast — salt  junk  and 
hard  tack  —  regular  sailor's  fare.  The  head  steward 
mildly  indicated  that  breakfast  was  ready  for  those 
who  had  not  already  been  served.  The  two  parties 
of  rebels  seated  themselves,  and  turned  up  their  noses 
at  the  fare. 

"  Steward,  bring  me  a  mug  of  coffee,"  shouted 
Howe  to  the  nearest  waiter. 

"  It  takes  water  to  make  coffee,"  replied  the  man, 
solemnly,  and  as  he  had  doubtless  been  instructed  to 
answer. 

"What  if  it  does?  Bring  me  some  coffee,"  re 
peated  Howe,  angrily. 

"No  coffee  for  this  crowd,"  interposed  the  head 
steward,  as  solemnly. 

"  But  I'm  going  to  have  my  coffee,"  added  Wilton, 
whose  temper  was  not  the  sweetest  in  the  world,  as 
he  rose  from  his  stool,  and  rushed  towards  the  kitchen 
door. 


136  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

"Avast,  my  lad!"  said  Peaks,  taking  the  rebel  by 
the  collar  with  no  gentle  force.     "  It  takes  water  to 
'make  coffee." 

Wilton  was  afraid  of  the  boatswain.,  for  there  was  a 
tradition  on  board  that  he  had,  on  one  occasion,  laid 
hands  upon  a  refractory  boy,  and  He  was  evidently  in 
the  steerage  for  a  purpose.  He  skulked  back  to  his 
place  at  the  table. 

"  Can't  I  have  some  coffee?"  demanded  Raymond, 
of  the  head  steward,  when  that  official  came  near 
his  seat. 

"  You  cannot." 

"Why  not?" 

"  Because  it  takes  water  to  make  coffee." 

"What  of  that?" 

"  Owing  to  circumstances,  the  supply  of  water  on 
board  is  rather  short,"  answered  the  head  steward,  as 
solemnly  as  before. 

"  That's  nothing  to  do  with  me.  I  didn't  start  the 
water  tanks." 

"  I  obey  orders,  and  don't  argue  with  any  one  ;  but 
there's  an  old  saying  that  a  man  is  known  by  the  com 
pany  he  keeps,  and  I  suppose  a  boy  is,  too." 

The  steward  passed  on,  and  refused  to  answer  any 
more  questions. 

"  If  we  can't  have  coffee,  give  us  some  water,"  said 
Lindsley. 

"  Water  is  water,"  replied  the  steward. 

The  rebels  were  hungry,  and  they  ate,  though  very 
sparingly,  of  the  unpalatable  food  which  was  set  be 
fore  them.  Like  most  other  boys  belonging  to  "  the 
first  families,"  they  did  not  relish  corned  beef  at  any 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  137 

time  ;  and  that  before  them,  though  of  excellent  quali 
ty,  was  very  salt,  having  been  a  long  time  in  the  brine. 
They  partook  of  the  beef  and  the  hard  bread  simply 
because  there  was  nothing  else  with  which  to  satisfy 
their  hunger.  Some  of  them  wanted  to  u  make  a 
row  "  about  the  fare  ;  but  Peaks  was  a  very  formida 
ble  obstacle  in  the  way  of  any  such  demonstration. 
They  ate  what  they  could,  rather  than  what  they 
wanted,  and  retreated  to  their  mess-rooms. 

"  Well,  what  do  you  think  now?  "  said  Lindsley,  as 
he  threw  himself  into  his  berth. 

Raymond  only  shook  his  head  and  grated  his  teeth. 

"  I  think  we  are  sold,  and  the  sooner  we  back  down, 
the  better,"  added  Lindsley. 

"  I  won't  back  down  !  "  snapped  Raymond,  sav 
agely. 

"  How  long  do  you  think  you  can  eat  salt  horse, 
without  any  water  to  wash  it  down  ?  " 

"I  can  stand  it  till  I  die!" 

"  I  don't  think  it  is  worth  while  to  stand  it  quite  so 
long  as  that." 

"  I  do !  What  right  has  the  principal  to  deny  us 
even  a  drop  of  water  ?  " 

"  What  right  have  we  to  stand  out,  and  refuse  to  do 
our  duty?  Howe's  fellows  started  the  water  tanks, 
and  —  " 

"  We  didn't  do  it ! "  interrupted  Raymond,  savagely. 
"  I  won't  stand  it." 

Rushing  out  into  the  steerage,  he  went  to  the  water 
jar,  in  one  corner.  It  was  empty,  though  there  was  a 
breaker  of  water  on  deck  for  the  use  of  the  Faithful, 
who  were  thirsty.  He  was  mad,  and  ready  for  des- 


138  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

perate  steps.  He  hastened  to  the  mess-room  of 
Howe,  and  entered  just  as  that  worthy  was  taking  a 
draught  from  the  bottle  he  had  filled  at  the  tanks  the 
evening  before. 

"  What's  that?"  demanded  he. 

u  Water,"  replied  Howe,  good-naturedly. 

"  Give  us  a  drink  —  will  you?  I'm  almost  choked," 
asked  Raymond,  glad  to  see  that  there  was  still  an  al 
ternative. 

"  No,  I  thank  you,"  answered  Howe,  putting  the 
stopper  back  into  the  bottle.  "  We  don't  do  the 
heavy  jobs,  and  then  provide  for  those  who  are  too 
cowardly  to  help  us." 

"  We  are  in  the  same  boat  with  you  ;  and  it  isn't 
fair  to  let  our  fellows  suffer  while  you  have  water." 

"  You  wouldn't  go  in  with  us.  We  have  only  a 
bottle  apiece,"  pleaded  Howe. 

Raymond  appealed  to  others  in  the  room,  but  all  of 
them  were  of  one  mind.  The  salt  beef  had  created  a 
tremendous  thirst  among  those  who  had  eaten  it,  and 
all  who  had  water  made  large  draughts  upon  the  sup 
ply.  The  bottles  had  contained  pickles,  olives,  ketch 
up,  and  other  similar  articles,  so  that  the  water  was 
not  very  palatable.  In  the  course  of  the  forenoon, 
Raymond  and  his  party  stealthily  attempted  to  obtain 
possession  of  these  bottles,  but  the  runaways  were  too 
vigilant  for  them ;  and  before  dinner  the  thirsty  ones 
were  exceedingly  uncomfortable,  to  say  the  least. 
They  tried  to  conceal  their  condition  from  the  Faith 
ful  as  much  as  possible,  but  they  were  all  very  ner 
vous  and  disquieted. 

At  one  o'clock,  after  the  regular  dinner  of  roast 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN   GERMANY.  139 

beef  and  rice  pudding  had  been  served  to  the  Faithful, 
the  tables  were  again  prepared  for  the  rebels ;  but  the 
bill  of  fare  was  corned  beef  and  hard  bread  —  not  a 
drop  of  water.  Peaks  and  the  head  steward  paced 
the  unsteady  floor,  as  they  had  done  at  breakfast  time. 
Raymond,  whose  tongue  and  lips  were  parched  with 
thirst,  became  desperate  again,  and  attempted  to  force 
his  way  into  the  kitchen.  He  was  seized  by  the  boat 
swain,  and  the  more  he  struggled,  the  more  he  was 
shaken  up.  He  refused  to  behave  himself,  and  Peaks 
thrust  him  into  the  brig. 


140  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE    LAST    OF   THE    MUTINEERS. 

THE  gale  continued  to  blow  ugly  and  gusty  during 
the  day,  until  eight  bells  in  the  afternoon.  The 
fog  hung  heavy  over  the  ocean,  and  the  bell  was  rung 
every  five  minutes,  in  accordance  with  the  English 
Admiralty  instructions.  The  ship  had  been  standing 
close-hauled  to  the  north-north-west  since  noon,  when 
she  had  tacked,  at  the  warning  of  the  fog  signal, 
made  at  some  light  station  on  the  coast  of  France,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Cape  de  La  Hague.  For  four  hours  she 
had  been  on  her  present  course,  and  was  therefore 
approaching  the  coast  of  England  again.  At  the  be 
ginning  of  the  first  dog-watch,  there  were  some  signs 
of  a  change  of  weather.  The  fog  appeared  to  be  lift 
ing,  and  the  wind  came  in  less  violent  gusts. 

In  the  steerage,  among  the  rebels,  the  most  unalloyed 
misery  prevailed.  The  runaways  had  exhausted  their 
supply  of  water  under  the  pressure  of  thirst  caused 
by  the  salt  provision,  though  they  had  not  yet  begun 
to  be  very  uncomfortable.  Certainly  they  had,  as  yet, 
no  thought  of  yielding,  but  were  rather  studying  up 
the  means  of  obtaining  a  new  supply  of  water.  Ray 
mond's  party  were  only  waiting  for  the  boatswain's 
call  to  ask  permission  to  join  their  shipmates  on  deck ; 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  141 

but,  most  provokingly,  no  call  came.  Their  leader 
had  been  discharged  from  the  brig  as  soon  as  he 
ceased  to  be  violent ;  for  the  principal  did  not  wish  to 
punish  any  one  for  the  mutiny,  preferring  to  let  it  work 
its  own  cure  on  the  diet  he  had  prescribed. 

With  the  exception  of  the  rebels,  every  one  seemed 
to  be  particularly  jolly.  The  principal  had  explained 
his  policy  to  them,  and  they  were  entirely  satisfied. 
All  the  evolutions  of  seamanship  were  performed 
with  remarkable  precision  even  in  the  gale,  demon 
strating  that  the  crew  had  not  lost  their  prestige, 
when  the  will  was  right.  In  the  cabin,  even,  the 
rough  sea  did  not  dampen  the  spirits  of  the  passen 
gers,  who  had  been,  in  a  measure,  accustomed  to  the 
rude  action  of  the  sea  by  their  voyage  in  the  steamer 
and  in  the  Josephine.  The  Grand  Protectress  of  the 
Order  of  the  Faithful  was  full  of  life  and  spirits,  and 
watched  with  the  deepest  interest  the  progress  of  the 
rebellion  in  the  steerage. 

In  Raymond's  party  the  suffering  from  thirst  had 
become  intolerable.  Lindsley's  back  had- been  broken 
early  in  the  forenoon,  but  Raymond  declared  that  he 
would  never  yield  —  he  would  die  first. 

"  What's  the  use?  "  demanded  Lindsley.  "  We  are 
whipped  out,  sold  out,  played  out,  and  used  up.  My 
tongue  is  as  dry  as  a  piece  of  wash-leather." 

"  I  don't  like  to  give  it  up,"  replied  Raymond.  "  It 
looks  mean  to  back  out." 

"Just  look  at  it  a  moment.  We  are  suffering  for 
the  sins  of  Howe's  fellows.  They  let  off  the  water, 
saving  a  supply  for  themselves,  and  our  fellows  are 
really  the  only  ones  who  suffer  for  their  deed.  We 


142  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

are  sustaining  them,  even  while  they  won't  give  us  a 
drop  of  water  to  moisten  our  lips.  For  one,  I  never 
will  get  into  such  a  scrape  again.  We  have  been 
fools,  and  whenever  I  see  the  runaways  go  one  way, 
I'm  going  the  other." 

"  All  hands,  on  deck,  ahoy  !  "  shouted  the  boatswain 
at  the  main  hatch. 

"  That  means  me,"  said  Lindsley,  rushing  to  the  lad 
der.  "  Come  along,  Raymond.  Howe  and  his  fellows 
have  been  stingy  and  mean  enough  to  be  left  alone." 

Most  of  the  crew  were  on  deck  when  the  call  was 
piped.  Lindsley  led  the  way  up  the  ladder,  and  Ray 
mond  followed  him.  The  last  argument  of  his  friend 
had  evidently  converted  the  latter,  for,  however  much 
he  disliked  to  yield,  it  was  not  so  bad  as  supporting 
the  cause  of  such  fellows  as  Howe,  who  would  not 
even  give  him  a  drink  of  water.  And  the  idea  of  en 
during  positive  suffering  for  the  evil  deed  of  the  run 
aways  was  not  pleasant.  They  had  let  the  water  out 
of  the  tanks,  but  Raymond  and  his  friends  were  the 
only  ones  who  had  thus  far  suffered  in  consequence  of 
the  act.  It  was  these  reflections  which  absolutely 
drove  him  upon  deck,  rather  than  any  disposition  to 
undo  the  wrong  he  had  done. 

A  lift  of  the  fog.  had  revealed  the  Bill  of  Portland, 
a  narrow  neck  of  land  projecting  outside  the  channel 
from  the  English  coast.  The  wind  was  hauling  to 
the  northward,  and  the  prospect  of  fair  weather  was 
very  good.  The  order  was  given  to  turn  out  one  of 
the  reefs  in  the  topsails.  The  appearance  of  the 
Raymond  party  was  noticed  by  Mr.  Lowington,  and 
even  the  passengers  observed  those  who  wore  neither 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  143 

the  white 'nor  the  blue  ribbon.  As  soon  as  the  rebels 
reached  the  deck,  they  discovered  the  water  breaker 
in  the  waist.  They  charged  upon  it  with  a  fury  which 
required  the  interference  of  an  officer ;  but  half  a 
pint  was  served  out  to  each  of  them  before  they  were 
sent  aloft. 

The  reefs  were  turned  out,  and  the  ship  came  about 
on  the  other  tack.  Nothing  had  been  seen  of  the  Jo 
sephine  since  the  fog  settled  down  upon  the  squadron 
the  night  before ;  but  the  principal  had  no  fears  in 
regard  to  her  safety.  Fog-horns,  guns,  and  bells 
warn  the  voyager  of  his  approach  to  any  of  the  perils 
of  the  shore  ;  and  the  experienced  navigator  can  inter 
pret  these  signals  so  as  to  avoid  all  danger. 

"  South-west  by  west,  half  west,"  said  Paul  Kendall, 
who  was  the  acting  sailing-master  on  duty,  giving  out 
the  course  to  the  quarter-master  in  charge  of  the  wheel. 

"  South-west  by  west,  half  west,"  repeated  the  latter. 

"  Where  will  that  take  us?  "  asked  Grace  Arbnckle, 
who  watched  everything  that  was  said  and  done  with 
deep  interest. 

<'  That  course  will  take  the  ship  to  a  point  off  Ush- 
ant,  which  is  an  island  near  the  coast  of  France,  not 
far  from  Brest,"  replied  Paul,  who  took  especial  pleas 
ure  in  explaining  to  her  the  working  of  the  vessel. 

"  How  far  is  it  from  here  ?  " 

"  From  the  Bill  of  Portland,  which  is  the  land  you 
see  astern  of  us,  the  distance  to  Ushant  is  one  hundred 
and  fifty-seven  miles." 

u  How  long  will  it  take  us  to  go  there?" 

"  That  will  depend  entirely  upon  the  wind,"  laughed 
Paul.  "  We  are  logging  ten  knots  just  now,  which 


144  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

would  bring  us  off  Ushant  about  ten  o'clock  to-morrow 
forenoon.  But  the  wind  is  going  down,  and  we  may 
not  get  there  till  to-morrow  night." 

"  Well,  I'm  in  no  hurry  ;  and  I  rather  hope  it  will 
not  blow  very  hard,"  added  Grace. 

"  That's  just  my  wish.  If  the  water  only  holds  out, 
I  don't  care." 

"  But  there  is  something  more  for  the  Grand  Pro 
tectress  to  do,"  said  Grace. 

"  A  dozen  more  who  are  to  take  the  first  degree  ;  but 
I  do  not  know  whether  they  will  be  willing  to  be  ini 
tiated." 

"Why  not?" 

"  Raymond,  who  is  generally  a  good  fellow,  has 
been  very  ugly.  Perhaps  he  feels  better  now  he  has 
quenched  his  thirst." 

"  May  I  speak  to  him?" 

"  Certainly,  if  you  wish  to  do  so." 

Paul  conducted  the  Grand  Protectress  to  the  waist, 
where  the  head  steward  was  giving  the  Raymond  par 
ty  another  half  pint  of  water  apiece.  They  were 
very  thirsty,  and,  as  boys  understand  the  word,  they 
had  doubtless  suffered  a  great  deal  for  the  want  of 
water.  As  they  had  returned  to  their  duty,  and  yield 
ed  the  point,  Mr.  Lowington  had  directed  that  they 
should  be  frequently  supplied,  until  they  were  satisfied. 
The  general  opinion  was,  that  they  had  already  been 
severely  punished,  not  only  by  the  thirst  they  had 
endured,  augmented  as  it  was  by  their  diet  of  salt 
beef  and  hard  bread,  but  in  the  mortification  they  had 
experienced  at  the  failure  of  their  scheme.  The  latter 
punishment  was  quite  as  severe  as  the  former. 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  145 

"  Miss  Arbuckle  wishes  to  speak  to  you,  Ray 
mond,"  said  Paul,  addressing  the  discomfited  leader 
of  the  mild  party. 

"  What  for?  "  demanded  he. 

"  She  will  explain  for  herself." 

u  Does  she  want  to  preach  to  me?  " 

"  I  think  not.  Of  course  you  are  not  compelled  to 
see  her,  if  you  don't  wish  to  do  so,"  added  Paul,  who 
could  not  see  why  any  one  should  not  wish  to  con 
verse  with  Grace. 

"  I  will  hear  what  she  has  to  say,"  said  Raymond, 
with  a  condescension  which  Paul  did  not  like. 

The  commodore  presented  the  delinquent  to  the 
37oung  lady.  Raymond  touched  his  cap,  and  bowed 
politely. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you  on  deck,  Mr.  Ray 
mond,  for  I  have  wished  to  make  your  acquaintance 
since  last  evening,"  Grace  began. 

"  Thank  you.  I  was  not  aware  that  I  had  any 
claims  upon  your  consideration." 

"  I  see  you  wear  no  ribbon.  Shall  I  furnish  you 
with  one?" 

"  I  don't  know  what  it  is  for?  "  said  Raymond,  glan 
cing  at  the  white  ribbon  on  the  commodore's  breast. 
"What  does  it  mean?" 

"  I  can't  tell  you  anything  about  it  just  yet.  I  sup 
pose  you  are  very  sorry  for  what  you  have  done." 

"  I  feel  better  since  I  have  had  a  drink  of  water,"  re 
plied  Raymond,  good-naturedly ;  and  there  was  no 
doubt  that  he  spoke  the  literal  truth. 

"  I  regret  that  it  was  necessary  to  deprive  you  of 
water." 

10 


146  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

"  It  was  not  my  fault.  I  had  nothing  to  do  with 
emptying  the  water  tanks,"  pleaded  the  culprit.  "  It 
was  the  runaways  who  did  that." 

"  Then  you  were  in  bad  company." 

"  I  think  so  myself,"  answered  Raymond,  candidly, 
for  he  was  still  under  the   influence  of  the  clinching, 
argument  which  had  induced  him  to  come  on  deck. 

At  this  point  the  conversation  was  interrupted  by 
the  call  of  the  principal,  who  summoned  the  Ray 
mond  party  into  his  presence  on  the  quarter-deck. 

"Are  you  satisfied?"  asked  Mr.  Lowington,  with  a 
pleasant  smile  on  his  face,  when  the  rebels  had  assem 
bled  before  him. 

"  No,  sir,"  replied  Raymond,  promptly,  and  before 
any  other  of  the  party  could  give  a  different  answer. 

"  Why  did  you  come  on  deck,  then?" 

"We  couldn't  stand  it  any  longer  without  water." 

"  Is  that  the  reason  why  you  came  on  deck  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Then  you  may  return  to  your  former  diet  till  you 
are  satisfied,"  added  the  principal,  pleasantly. 

"  We  don't  wish  to  do  that,  sir." 

"  Didn't  I  understand  you  to  say  that  you  were  not 
satisfied." 

"  I  am  not,  sir,"  continued  Raymond,  stoutly.  "  I 
don't  think  it  was  fair  to  —  " 

"  Stop ! "  interposed  the  principal,  rather  sharply. 
"  I  do  not  purpose  to  listen  to  your  grievances.  You 
have  undertaken  to  redress  them  yourselves,  and  I  see 
no  reason  why  you  should  not  persevere  till  you  are 
satisfied." 

"  We  can't  live  on  salt  junk  and  hard  bread  without 
any  water,  sir." 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN    GERMANY.  147 

"  Can't  you,  indeed?  You  should  have  thought  of 
that  before  you  joined  hands  with  those  who  started 
the  water  out  of  the  tanks." 

"  We  did  not  even  know  that  they  meant  to  start  the 
water,  or,  afterwards,  that  they  had  done  it,  till  the 
cook  said  so.  We  are  not  responsible  for  what  they 
did."- 

"  Perhaps  not ;  yet  you  were  in  the  hold,  in  full  fel 
lowship  with  them.  But  I  do  not  intend  to  argue  the 
matter  with  you." 

"  We  are  ready  to  return  to  our  duty,  sir,  whether 
we  are  satisfied  or  not,"  added  Raymond. 

"O.  you  are?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Well,  as  long  as  you  are  willing  to  do  your  duty, 
I  suppose  it  does  not  matter  whether  you  are  satisfied 
or  not." 

Raymond  made  no  reply,  and  could  not  help 
wondering  that  he  had  been  'so  simple  as  to  believe 
the  principal  would  ask  an  explanation  of  muti 
neers. 

"Are  you  willing  to  obey  all  orders?"  continued 
Mr.  Lowington. 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"And  the  others?" 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  Raymond's  followers. 

"  Will  you  refrain  from  all  communication  with 
those  in  the  steerage  who  still  refuse  to  do  duty  ?  " 

"  I  will,"  answered  Raymond,  who  had  before 
made  up  his  mind  to  do  this. 

"  Especially  you  will  not  inform  them  of  anything 
which  takes  place  on  deck,  or  give  them  the  benefit  of 


148  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

any  explanation  you  may  hear,"  said  the  principal. 
"  Those  who  assent  to  these  terms  will  walk  over  to 
windward." 

The  party,  who  could  not  help  wondering  at  this 
singular  treatment  of  what  they  regarded  as  a  very 
difficult  matter,  walked  squarely  up  to  the  weather- 
rail  of  the  ship,  and  halted  there.  The  remarks  of  the 
principal,  and  the  pledge  he  exacted,  seemed  to  ex 
plain  the  strange  conduct  of  the  white  and  the  blue 
ribbon  bands  in  the  steerage.  No  one  had  been  able 
to  ascertain  definitely  what  those  badges  meant. 

"  Very  well.  I  am  satisfied,  if  you  are  not,"  said 
Mr.  Lowington,  mildly.  "  You  deserve  punishment, 
but  it  shall  depend  upon  your  future  conduct  whether 
you  receive  it  or  not.  You  will  go  forward." 

When  the  party  reached  the  waist,  they  were  con 
fronted  by  Grace  and  Paul. 

"You  have  promised  to  be  faithful — have  you  not?" 
asked  she. 

"  Yes  ;  but  I'm  not  satisfied,"  replied  the  leader. 

"  Then  I  confer  upon  you  the  first  degree  of  the 
Order  of  the  Faithful,"  added  Grace.  "  Its  emblem 
is  a  yellow  ribbon ; "  and  she  pinned  the  decoration 
upon  Raymond's  breast. 

"  What  does  it  mean?  "  he  asked. 

She  explained  its  meaning,  and  then  initiated  his 
companions. 

"  How  happens  it  that  we  have  yellow  ribbon  while 
others  have  white  or  blue  ones  ?  "  asked  Lindsley. 

"  Because  you  have  taken  only  the  first  degree,  be 
ing  the  last  ones  to  come.  If  you  do  well,  and  are 
faithful,  you  shall  be  raised  to  the  second,  and  then  to 


YOUNG  AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  149 

the  third  degree,"  replied  Grace,  with  a  vivacity  which 
was  not  at  all  impaired  by  the  laughter  of  the  initiates, 
who,  as  others  before  them  had,  regarded  the  order  as 
a  pleasant  joke. 

"  When  you  have  proved  yourselves  worthy,  you 
will  be  advanced  to  the  second  degree  by  the  Grand 
Protectress,"  added  Paul.  "  The  motto  of  the  concern 
is,  '  Vous  ne  pouvez  pas  faire  un  sifflet  de  la  queue 
d'un  cochon;'  and  I  think  you  have  fully  proved  the 
truth  of  the  saying.  The  meaning  of  the  sentence 
is  one  of  the  secrets  of  the  order.  Do  you  promise 
not  to  reveal  it?" 

"  I  do,  for  one,"  laughed  Lindsley.  "  I  haven't  the 
least  idea  myself  what  it  means." 

"  Nor  I,"  added  all  the  others." 

"  Then  you  will  all  be  discreet.  The  motto  con 
tains  a  very  valuable  moral  lesson,  which  bears  on 
your  case,  and  I  hope  you  will  take  it  to  heart,"  said 
Paul. 

"  I  should  like  to  take  it  to  head  first,"  replied 
Lindsley. 

"  I  hope  you  are  satisfied  now,  Mr.  Raymond," 
continued  Grace. 

"  Not  at  all.  I  am  willing  to  do  my  duty,  rather 
than  be  starved  on  salt  junk,  and  choked  to  death  for 
the  want  of  water ;  but  I  am  not  satisfied." 

"  Not  satisfied  !  "  exclaimed  Grace.  "  Not  after  you 
have  been  initiated  into  the  noble  and  magnanimous 
Circle  of  the  Order  of  the  Faithful !  " 

"  Not  much  !  " 

"You  should  say, 4 Nicht  vielj  when  you  want  to 
use  that  expression,"  laughed  Grace,  who  did  not  like 


150  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

American  slang,  and  had  already  partially  cured  Paul, 
who  had  a  slight  tendency  in  that,  direction. 

"  Well,  nicht  viel,  then.  It  was  not  fair,  when  we 
had  been  promised  a  trip  into  Germany,  to  send  us 
off  to  sea,  just  to  please  Shuffles." 

"Captain  Shuffles  is  a  good  young  man.  If  you  say 
anything  against  him,  you  shall  be  expelled  from  the 
Order  of  the  Faithful !  " 

"  Well,  I  won't  say  anything  against  him,  then, 
Miss  Arbuckle  ;  but  they  say  the  ship  is  bound  for 
Belfast." 

"  Do  you  see  that  land,  Mr.  Raymond?"  she  added, 
pointing  to  the  light  on  the  headland. 

"I  do." 

"What  land  is  it?" 

"  I  don't  know." 

"  It  is  the  Bill  of  Portland.  Now,  which  way  is  the 
ship  headed?" 

"  About  south-west,"  replied  Raymond,  after  look 
ing  through  the  skylight  at  the  tell-tale  in  the  steerage. 

"  South-west  by  west,  half  west,"  she  added. 

"  Bully  for  you  !  " 

"  Instead  of  that,  you  should  say,  '•Bulle  fur  ihnen? 
In  other  words,  you  should  utter  all  your  slang  in  Ger 
man  :  it  sounds  better." 

"  I  only  meant  to  say  that  you  reeled  off  the  course 
like  a  regular  old  salt,"  laughed  Raymond. 

"  If  the  ship  were  bound  to  Belfast,  its  course  would 
be  nearer  west.  We  are  not  going  to  Belfast.  We 
are  going  to  Brest.  Mr.  Lowington  said  the  ship's 
company  needed  a  little  exercise  to  perfect  the  disci 
pline,  and  to  save  the  trouble  and  expense  of  going 


YOUNG    AMERICA    IN   GERMANY.  151 

into  the  dock  at  Havre,  the  vessels  will  be  left  in  the 
harbor  of  Brest.  He  never  had  a  thought  of  giving 
up  the  trip  down  the  Rhine." 

"  Is  that  so?  "  asked  the  leader  of  the  mild  rebels. 

Paul  repeated  the  explanation  to  the  penitents  which 
the  principal  had  given  the  day  before. 

"  We  understood  that  we  were  going  to  sea  just  to 
please  Shuffles,"  said  Lindsley. 

"  The  captain  certainly  wanted  better  discipline, 
and  he  did  propose  a  day  or  two  at  sea  for  its  im 
provement,"  added  Paul. 

"  I  don't  care  for  two  or  three  days  at  sea,  if  we  are 
to  go  to  the  Rhine,"  continued  Raymond.  "  I'm  satis 
fied  now." 

The  conversation  was  continued  till  the  starboard 
watch  was  piped  to  supper.  Raymond  was  fully 
satisfied  now  that  he  had  made  a  fool  of  himself,  and, 
what  was  even  worse,  that  he  and  his  companions  had 
been  the  dupes  of  the  runaways.  Those  who  be 
longed  in  the  starboard  watch  were  permitted  to  go  to 
the  table,  and  they  did  ample  justice  to  the  cold  roast 
beef,  butter  toast,  and  tea  which  covered  the  mess 
tables.  Peaks  and  the  head  steward  paced  the  steerage, 
as  before,  and  no  one  without  a  ribbon  was  allowed 
to  partake.  At  six  o'clock,  after  the  port  watch  had 
been  relieved,  the  second  supper  was  served,  and  the 
rest  of  the  hungry  and  thirsty  delinquents  enjoyed 
the  change  in  their  bill  of  fare. 

Then  the  runaways  sat  down  to  their  supper  of  salt 
beef  and  hard  bread,  without  tea  or  water.  The  food 
did  not  suit  them,  and  they  turned  up  their  noses  at  it. 
The  thirst  created  by  their  salt  breakfast  in  the  morning 


152  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

had  required  large  draughts  upon  their  water  bottles, 
and  before  dinner  they  had  exhausted  the  supply.  They 
were  very  thirsty,  though  none  of  them  were  actually 
suffering.  The  fact  that  they  could  not  get  any  water 
made  them  want  it  all  the  more.  They  ate  none  of  the 
salt  meat,  which  by  this  time  was  loathsome  to  them. 
Ship  bread  was  dry  feed,  and  they  could  eat  very  lit 
tle  of  it.  Doubtless  it  was  a  hard  case  for  them,  the 
sons  of  rich  men  ;  but  they  had  only  to  obey  the  boat 
swain's  pipe,  and  "  eat,  drink,  and  be  filled." 

"  I  can't  stand  this,"  said  Monroe,  when  a  group  of 
them  had  gathered  in  their  mess-room  after  the  un 
palatable  supper. 

u  Can't  you  ?  What's  the  reason  you  can't  ?  "  growled 
Howe. 

"  I'm  almost  choked." 

"  So  am  I,"  added  several  others. 

"Are  you  going  to  back  out?"  demanded  the 
leader. 

"  Rather  than  perish  with  thirst,  I  am,"  answered 
Herman. 

"  What's  the  use?  All  the  rest  of  the  fellows  have 
deserted  us,"  added  Ibbotson.  "  Even  Raymond  is 
sporting  a  yellow  ribbon,  and  is  as  jolly  as  a  lord 
now." 

"  We  can't  make  anything  by  it,"  said  Monroe.  "  I 
move  you  we  back  out,  and  get  a  drink  of  water.  All 
hands  will  be  called  at  eight  bells,  I  think,  to  put  on 
more  sail." 

"  No,  no !  Don't  back  out,"  interposed  Howe. 
"  We  haven't  made  ourselves  felt  yet." 

"That's  so,"  groaned  Herman.      "No  one  takes 


YOUNG    AMERICA   IN    GERMANY.  153 

any  notice  of  us.  Even  those  fellows  that  went  up 
last  won't  speak  to  us,  not  even  to  answer  a  civil 
question.  The  principal  evidently  regards  us  with 
perfect  contempt.  I  go  in  for  doing  something,  or 
backing  out.  As  it  is,  we  are  making  a  milk-and- 
water  affair  of  it.  We  are  starved  and  choked.  That's 
all  we  have  to  show  for  what  we  have  done." 

"  Why  don't  you  preach,  and  say,  *  The  way  of  the 
transgressor  is  hard,'  or  something  of  that  sort,  which 
is  original,"  snarled  Howe. 

"  I  should  judge  from  your  talk  that  you  did  not 
feel  very  good,"  added  Herman. 

"  I  don't ;  I'm  as  dry  as  any  of  you,  but  I  have  no 
idea  of  backing  out." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do?  What's  to  be  the  end 
of  this?"  demanded  Ibbotson.  "  I've  got  enough 
of  it." 

"  That  seems  to  be  the  general  opinion,"  continued 
Herman. 

"Where's  Little?"  demanded  Howe,  who  could 
not  help  realizing  that  the  fortunes  of  the  last  of  the 
mutineers  were  becoming  desperate,  and  that  it  was 
not  an  easy  thing  to  contend  against  such  enemies  as 
hunger  and  thirst.  "  I  shall  not  give  it  up  so.  Let 
us  do  something.  Let  us  make  ourselves  felt,  even  if 
we  are  hanged  for  it." 

"What  can  we  do?"  inquired  Herman,  earnestly. 
"  We  are  caged  here  like  a  lot  of  donkeys,  and  I  have 
had  enough  of  it." 

"  Will  you  hold  on  for  a  couple  of  hours  longer, 
fellows?"  persisted  Howe. 

"  I  will  hold  on  till  the  boatswain  calls  all  hands, 


154  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

and  not  an  instant  longer,"  replied  Herman.  "  My 
tongue  feels  as  though  it  were  cracking  with  thirst." 

Howe  rushed  out  of  the  room  to  find  Little,  who 
was  the  man  of  expedients  for  the  runaways.  He 
found  him  in  an  adjoining  room,  and  stated  the  case 
to  him.  The  little  villain  was  as  uncomfortable  and 
unhappy  as  the  rest  of  the  mutineers,  and,  to  the  sur 
prise  of  Howe,  counselled  yielding  rather  than  suffer 
ing  any  longer. 

"  I  didn't  think  that  of  you,  Little,"  sneered  Howe. 

"  Didn't  you?  Well,  it's  only  a  question  as  to  who 
can  stand  it  the  longest  on  a  diet  of  salt  horse  without 
water,"  replied  Little.  "  I  can  hold  out  as  long  as 
any  fellow  ;  but  we  shall  not  make  anything  by  it.  If 
we  could,  I  would  stick." 

"  Let  us  do  something,  at  least,  to  make  a  sensation 
before  we  give  in.  I  don't  like  the  idea  of  being  con 
quered  just  in  this  way." 

"What  can  we  do?"    ' 

"  Let  us  set  the  ship  afire,  or  bore  holes  in  the  bot 
tom,"  whispered  Howe. 

"  Of  course,  you  don't  mean  anything  of  that  sort," 
added  Little,  with  a  grim  smile. 

"  I  would  rather  do  it  than  be  whipped  out  in  this 
manner.  I  never  felt  so  cheap  and  mean  in  my  life," 
continued  Howe,  kicking  the  front  of  the  berth,  and 
pounding  with  his  fist  to  indicate  the  intensity  of  his 
wrath. 

"Nor  I  either;  but  what  are  you  going  to  do 
about  it." 

"  Well,  you  furnish  gumption  for  the  crowd,  and  I 
came  to  ask  you  what  to  do.  Our  fellows'  backs  are 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN    GERMANY.  1 55 

broken,  and  they  will  go  on  deck  when  the  boatswain's 
pipe  sounds  again." 

"  I  shall  go  with  them,"  replied  Little,  quietly. 

"  Can't  we  get  into  the  hold,  and  find  some  water?" 

"  No  ;  Bitts  put  a  lock  on  that  scuttle  this  morning, 
and  the  forward  officers  are  watching  all  the  time. 
You  can  set  the  ship  afire  if  you  like.  I  don't  think 
of  anything  else  you  can  do  to  make  yourself  felt." 

«  I'll  do  it !  "  exclaimed  Howe. 

"  No,  you  won't,"  added  Little,  mildly. 

"  What's  the  reason  I  won't?" 

"  You  dare  not." 

"  You  see  !  "  said  the  discomfited  leader,  bolting  out 
of  the  room. 

Some  men,  and  some  boys,  are  the  most  easily  over 
whelmed  by  letting  them  severely  alone.  If  Howe  could 
have  made  a  sensation,  he  would  have  been  better  satis- 
sfied,  even  if  he  had  been  committed  to  the  brig.  He 
was  vain  and  proud,  and  it  hurt  him  more  to  be  ignored 
than  to  be  beaten.  It  was  questionable  whether  he  was 
desperate  enough  to  put  his  savage  threat  into  execu 
tion  ;  but  he  collected  a  pile  of  books  and  papers  in 
his  mess-room,  and  declared  his  intention  to  Herman, 
Monroe,  and  others,  who  were  his  messmates.  No 
student  was  allowed  to  have  matches,  and  he  lacked 
the  torch  to  fire  the  incendiary  pile. 

"  Don't  be  an  idiot,  Howe ! "  said  Herman,  dis 
gusted  with  the  conduct  of  his  leader. 

"  I'm  going  to  do  something,"  persisted  he. 

"  You  are  not  going  to  do  that." 

"Yes,  I  am!  As  soon  as  the  steward  leaves  the 
steerage,  I  shall  borrow  one  of  the  lanterns,  and  there 
will  be  a  blaze  down  here." 


156  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

"  No,  there  won't !  " 

"  What's  the  reason  there  won't?  " 

"  The  fellows  won't  let  you  do  any  such  thing.  A 
fellow  is  a  fool  to  burn  his  own  ship  at  sea." 

"  Of  course  it  won't  burn  up ;  but  it  will  bring 
Lowington  down  here,  and  he  will  find  out  we  are 
somebody." 

"  Nonsense !  " 

<'  But  I  mean  it." 

"  No,  you  don't !     It  is  all  buncombe." 

"  You  wait  and  see  if  it  is.  If  I  can  only  bring 
Lowington  down  here,  and  see  him  scared  out  of  his 
wits,  I  shall  be  satisfied.  I  shall  be  willing  to  go  into 
the  brig,  then,  and  stay  there  for  the  rest  of  the  cruise." 

"  You  are  a  fool,  Howe." 

"  I'm  desperate." 

"  You  shall  not  kindle  any  fire  here.  If  you  say 
you  mean  to  do  it,  I  will  call  Peaks  at  once." 

"  I  said  it,  and  I'll  do  it,"  said  Howe,  leaving  the 
room. 

His  messmates  followed  him.  The  steward  had  left 
the  steerage,  and  Howe,  in  order  to  take  down  the 
lantern,  leaped  upon  a  stool.  Herman  kicked  it  from 
beneath  him,  and  he  fell  upon  the  floor. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?"  demanded  Howe, 
with  clinched  fists. 

"  Don't  you  touch  that  lantern  —  that's  all !" 

"Yes,  I  will; "and  he  tried  to  mount  the  stool 
again. 

Herman,  Ibbotson,  and  Monroe  seized  him,  and 
dragged  him  back  into  the  room.  The  noise  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  rest  of  the  mutineers,  and  some 
others,  who  were  below. 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  157 

"  Go,  and  call  Peaks,  Monroe,"  said  Herman.  "  I 
will  hold  him  till  you  come  back." 

"  Don't  do  that,"  interposed  the  desperate  leader, 
becoming  suddenly  calm,  and  apparently  reasonable. 
"  You  are  all  cowards.  Let  me  alone.  I  might  as 
well  yield,  with  such  milk-and-water  fellows  around 
me.  Don't  say  anything  to  Peaks." 

"  You  are  a  bigger  fool  than  I  thought  you  were," 
added  Herman,  taking  no  pains  to  conceal  his  disgust 
at  the  conduct  of  his  leader. 

"All  hands,  on  deck,  ahoy !  "  piped  the  boatswain. 

All  hands,  Howe  included,  answered  the  call.  The 
mutiny  was  ended, 


158  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 


CHAPTER  X. 

WHAT    THE   RUNAWAYS   WERE    GOING   TO    DO. 

IT  was  an  astonishingly  stupid  mutiny,  not  relieved, 
even  a  shade,  by  the  sensational  conduct  of  Howe, 
the  leader,  in  its  last  moments,  that  terminated 
twenty-four  hours  after  its  commencement,  on  board 
of  the  Young  America.  However,  it  was  hardly 
more  stupid  than  any  other  wilful  evil-doing.  Cap 
tain  Shuffles,  like  the  potentates  of  the  old  world, 
wishing  to  have  his  accession  to  power  signalized  by 
an  act  of  clemency,  had  pleaded  earnestly  that  the 
runaways  might  be  forgiven,  and  permitted  to  visit 
Germany  with  the  rest  of  the  ship's  company.  Mr. 
Lowington  had  endeavored  to  reconcile  the  granting 
of  the  request  with  his  views  of  discipline.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  ask  with  what  success  he  considered  the 
matter,  for  the  delinquents  had  now  effectually  put  it 
out  of  his  power  to  grant  them  any  favor. 

The  fog  had  lifted,  and  from  the  north-west  came 
up  the  clearing  of  the  blue  sky,  as  the  sun  went  down. 
The  wind  had  moderated,  though  the  sea  still  rolled 
uneasily  in  the  channel.  The  principal  had  directed 
the  head  steward  to  estimate  the  supply  of  water  on 
board,  and  on  his  report  had  decided  that  the  ship 
should  proceed  directly  to  Brest.  She  had  been 


YOUNG  AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  159 

under  easy  sail,  but  as  soon  as  the  course  was  given  to 
the  captain,  he  called  all  hands.  For  the  first  time 
since  the  departure  from  Havre,  all  hands  answered 
the  call.  Though  it  was  quite  dark,  the  presence  of 
the  runaways  was  promptly  recognized.  The  volun 
teer  officers,  who  were  serving  as  seamen,  were  direct 
ed  to  take  their  regular  stations  in  working  ship. 

The  water  breaker  in  the  waist  was  in  demand,  as 
soon  as  the  last  of  the  mutineers  came  on  deck ;  and 
without  a  word  in  regard  to  the  past,  the  steward 
served  them  out  a  pint  of  water  apiece.  Their  prompt 
attention  to  the  water  ration  caused  a  smile  among  the 
Faithful,  and  the  officers  considerately  deferred  further 
orders  until  their  pressing  want  was  supplied. 

"  Shall  we  admit  them  to  the  Order  of  the  Faith 
ful?"  said  Grace  to  the  commodore,  when  it  was  an 
nounced  that  the  bottom  had  dropped  out  of  the 
mutiny. 

"  I  think  not,"  replied  Paul.     "  They  have  been  the 

cause  of  all  the  trouble  on  board,  and  Mr.  Lowington 

does  not  wish  that  anything  should  be  said  to  them. 

They  are  the  ones  who  emptied  the  water  tanks." 
"  Really,  I  don't  think  they  deserve  to  be  admitted 

to  the  Order  of  the  Faithful  —  at  least,  not  till  they 

have  proved  their  fidelity  to  duty." 

"  Raymond,  and  those  who  came  on  deck  before, 

are  generally  very  good  fellows ;  and  we  all  believe 

now  that  they  were  led  away  by  the  runaways,"  added 

Paul.     "  We  shall  soon  see  whether  all  hands  intend 

to  do  their  duty." 

When  the  thirsty  ones  had  been  supplied  with  water, 

the  order  to  set  the  courses  was  given,  and  the  runa- 


l6o  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

ways  severally  took  their  stations,  and  performed  their 
duty  without  making  any  confusion.  The  top-gallant- 
sails  and  royals  were  then  shaken  out.  The  discipline 
now  seemed  to  be  perfect,  and  the  principal's  method 
of  dealing  with  the  mutiny  was  fully  justified,  though 
he  took  pains  to  explain  to  some  of  the  professors  that 
lie  did  not  consider  this  treatment  practicable  in  all 
cases.  The  conduct  of  the  rebels,  and  the  facts  devel 
oped,  indicated  that  they  wished  to  be  noticed ;  that 
they  believed  the  ship  could  not  sail  without  their  per 
mission  and  assistance.  This  blunder  was  fatal  to 
all  their  calculations,  and  they  were  unable  to  "  make 
themselves  felt." 

But  the  runaways  were  no  better  satisfied  than 
Raymond  had  been  ;  and  though  they  performed  their 
duty  in  setting  sail  with  entire  precision,  they  were 
sour  and  morose.  The  sting  of  an  overwhelming  de 
feat  thorned  them.  They  were  mortified,  humiliated, 
and  crest-fallen.  They  were  enraged  at  the  conduct 
of  their  rebellious  companions  of  the  milder  stripe, 
who  had  deserted  them,  and  they  were  reaping  the 
general  consequences  of  evil-doing.  They  did  their 
work,  but  when  it  was  done  they  avoided  their  ship 
mates,  and  even  avoided  each  other.  Howe  had 
ruined  himself  as  a  leader  by  his  silly  conduct,  and 
there  was  not  likely  to  be  any  further  concerted  ac 
tion  among  them. 

Mr.  Lowington  had  faithfully  followed  out  his  plan, 
and  had  directed  Mr.  Fluxion  to  adopt  the  same  treat 
ment  for  those  who  refused  to  do  duty  in  the  Josephine 
—  to  keep  them  in  the  steerage,  and  feed  them  on  sail 
ors'  fare.  The  result  of  the  treatment  in  the  consort 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IX    GERMANY.  l6l 

was  yet  to  be  learned,  for  she  had  not  been  seen  since 
the  supply  of  water  had  been  procured  from  her. 

At  midnight  the  wind  blew  fresh  from  the  north 
west,  and  with  all  sails  set,  the  ship  logged  twelve 
knots.  The  three  lights  on  the  Casquets,  at  the  west 
ern  extremity  of  the  Channel  Islands  were  in  sight, 
and  the  prospect  of  seeing  Ushant  early  in  the  fore 
noon  was  good.  As  all  hands  were  now  on  duty,  the 
S}'stem  of  quarter  watches  was  restored,  so  that  each 
part  could  have  six  hours  of  uninterrupted  sleep. 
There  was  nothing  for  the  watch  on  deck  to  do,  ex 
cept  to  steer,  and  keep  a  lookout ;  and  there  was  a 
great  deal  of  discussion  about  mutiny  in  general,  and 
the  Young  America  mutiny  in  particular.  It  was 
generally  conceded  even  by  the  rebels,  that  it  "  did 
not  pay." 

After  the  runaways  had  in  some  measure  recovered 
from  the  first  blush  of  defeat,  some  of  them  wanted  to 
know  about  the  ribbons  ;  but  the  members  of  the  Order 
of  the  Faithful  did  not  consider  themselves  authorized 
to  impart  the  secrets  of  the  organization,  and  declined 
to  explain  them.  Doubtless  they  enjoyed  the  mystery, 
and  desired  to  keep  it  up  for  their  own  amusement. 
Howe,  when  he  found  a  tongue,  reproached  his  com 
panions  in  mischief  for  their  cowardice,  and  boasted 
of  what  great  things  would  have  been  accomplished 
if  they  had  supported  him  to  the  end  ;  but  his  most 
intimate  associates  were  disgusted  with  him,  and 
avoided  him  as  much  as  possible. 

At  seven  bells  in  the  morning,  a  breakfast  of  coffee, 
mutton  chops,  potatoes,  and  hot  biscuit  put  most  of 
the  runaways  in  the  port  watch  in  better  humor  than 
ii 


1 62  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

before,  and  another  did  a  similar  service  for  those  in 
the  starboard  watch  half  an  hour  later.  They  ate  and 
drank  all  they  could,  rather  than  all  they  needed,  and 
probably  shuddered  when  they  thought  of  the  conse 
quences  of  evil-doing,  as  embodied  in  salt  beef  and 
hard  bread,  without  a  drop  of  water. 

At  one  bell  in  the  forenoon  watch,  the  lookout  in 
the  foretop  shouted,  "  Land,  ho,  on  the  lee  bow."  An 
hour  after,  the  bold  rugged  shores  of  Ushant  were 
plainly  in  sight,  and  Dr.  Winstock  informed  Paul  and 
Grace  that  they  were  in  the  very  waters  where  the 
English  fleet,  under  Admiral  Sir  Edward  Hawkes, 
had  won  the  great  naval  victory  over  the  French  in 

'759- 

"  Sail,  ho  !  "  shouted  the  lookout. 

"Where  away?"  called  the  officer  forward. 

*'  On  the  weather  bow.  It's  a  topsail  schooner,  and 
looks  like  the  Josephine." 

Glasses  were  in  demand,  and  the  officers  soon  satis 
fied  themselves  that  the  sail  ahead  was  the  consort. 
It  was  evident  that,  hugging  the  wind  closely,  she  had 
gone  farther  from  the  coast  than  the  Young  America. 
She  took  a  pilot  off  Ushant,  and  continued  on  her 
course,  though  Mr.  Lowington  was  anxious  to  com 
municate  with  her,  and  learn  the  result  of  the  mutiny 
which  had  also  prevailed  on  board.  Off  the  island, 
the  ship  was  boarded  by  a  pilot,  and  following  the 
Josephine,  passed  through  the  Goulet  de  Brest,  which 
is  the  only  entrance  to  the  harbor.  This  passage  is 
not  more  than  a  mile  wide,  and  is  defended  on  each 
side  by  strong  forts.  The  harbor  is  a  land-locked  bay, 
deep  enough  for  vessels  of  the  largest  class,  and  with 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  163 

space  enough  to  accommodate,  at  least,  five  hundred 
of  them.  Brest  is  the  most  important  naval  station  of 
France,  and  its  fortress  and  docks  were  full  of  interest 
to  the  young  tourists.  The  city,  which  contains  a 
population  of  eighty  thousand,  is  built  on  the  summit 
and  slopes  of  a  hill,  some  of  the  streets  upon  whose 
sides  are  so  steep  as  to  be  impassable  for  vehicles. 

The  Josephine  had  already  come  to  anchor,  and  the 
ship  followed  her  example,  taking  position  as  near  to 
her  as  it  was  safe  to  lie.  As  usual,  when  the  vessels 
came  into  port,  there  was  a  great  excitement  on  board, 
for  new  sights  and  sounds  are  peculiarly  agreeable 
after  the  voyager  comes  from  the  monotony  of  the 
swelling  ocean ;  and  the  students  made  the  most  of 
them.  In  coming  into  port,  all  hands  had  been  on 
duty ;  and  after  the  sails  had  all  been  furled,  Captain 
Shuffles  declared  that  he  was  perfectly  satisfied  with 
the  discipline  of  his  crew.  The  runaways,  who  were 
generally  good  seamen,  whatever  else  they  were,  did 
not  deem  it  prudent  to  "  pipe  to  mischief"  again,  or  to 
attempt  to  create  any  confusion.  All  eyes  were  fixed 
on  them  if  anything  went  amiss,  and  if  they  were  dis 
posed  to  do  wrong,  they  made  a  merit  of  necessity. 
But  Brest  was  an  old  story  to  them,  and  brought  up 
unpleasant  memories.  They  knew  the  harbor,  and 
were  familiar  with  the  sights,  having  served  on  board 
of  the  Josephine  in  this  port  for  three  weeks  after  the 
runaway  cruise.  Indeed,  their  knowledge  of  the  har 
bor  brought  them  into  favor  with  others,  who  asked 
them  many  questions  about  the  objects  to  be  seen. 

After  everything  was  made  snug  on  board  of  the 
ship,  the  yards  squared,  and  every  rope  hauled  taut  in 


164  DOWN   THE    RHINE,  OR 

man-of-war  style,  the  first  cntter  was  lowered,  and  the 
principal  visited  the  Josephine.  As  he  went  over  the 
side,  he  saw  Adler,  Phillips,  and  others  of  the  run 
aways,  who  belonged  to  the  consort,  on  deck,  and  he 
concluded  that  his  plan  had  worked  as  well  in  her  as 
in  the  ship. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Fluxion,"  said  he,  as  he  grasped  the 
hand  of  his  able  assistant,  "  I  see  the  Josephine  has 
not  yet  been  taken  away  from  you." 

"  No,  sir.  We  had  but  a  dozen  mutineers  on 
board,"  replied  the  vice-principal,  "  and  they  are 
about  the  sickest  dogs  you  ever  saw.  I  kept  them 
in  the  steerage,  and  fed  them  on  salt  beef  and  hard 
bread,  as  you  suggested  to  me." 

"  Did  you  give  them  any  water?" 

"  Not  a  drop.  After  I  learned  that  your  ruffians  had 
stove  the  water  tanks,  I  concluded  they  were  all  in 
the  same  boat,  and  that  my  fellows  were  as  responsi 
ble  for  the  deed  as  yours.  I  suppose  it  was  all  a  con 
trived  plan  before  we  left  Havre." 
.  "  I  don't  know  whether  it  was  or  not.  I  should 
have  treated  it  in  a  different  manner  if  the  young  ras 
cals  had  not  dragged  in  a  large  number  of  the  students 
who  seldom  give  us  any  trouble." 

"  The  plan  worked  well,  though  I  did  not  very 
strongly  approve  of  it  at  first.  Last  night,  the  rebels 
sent  for  me,  and  begged,  with  tears  in  their  eyes,  to 
be  permitted  to  return  to  their  duty,  promising  to  be 
faithful  as  long  as  they  remained  on  board.  I  gave 
them  a  pretty  severe  lecture,  but  they  declared  they 
had  nothing  to  do  with  staving  the  water  tanks  in  the 
ship,  and  did  not  know  anything  about  it.  I'm  not 
apt  to  believe  what  those  fellow  say." 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  165 

"  It  matters  little  whether  they  knew  it  or  not ;  they 
certainly  agreed  together  to  refuse  to  do  duty.  Well, 
they  have  come  to  their  senses  now,  and  both  vessels 
seem  to  be  in  good  order.  Of  course,  after  what  has 
happened,  it  is  not  proper  to  take  these  mischief-mak 
ers  with  us  into  Germany,"  added  Mr.  Lowington. 

*'  Certainly  not,"  replied  Mr.  Fluxion,  promptly. 

"  Then,  as  you  are  going  to  Italy,  what  shall  be 
done  with  them  while  we  are  absent?"  asked  the  prin 
cipal,  anxiously. 

*'  My  sister,  who  intends  to  spend  the  winter  in 
Italy  with  her  husband,  desires  to  see  me  on  a  matter 
of  business  connected  with  her  private  property.  As 
she  is  an  invalid,  I  think  she  wishes  to  consult  me  in 
regard  to  the  disposition  of  her  estate,  so  that  her  chil 
dren  may  enjoy  it  after  her  decease  ;  for,  as  I  have  told 
you  before,  her  husband  is  not  a  reliable  man.  If  it 
were  a  matter  of  any  less  consequence,  I  would  not 
think  of  leaving." 

44  Undoubtedly  it  is  your  duty  to  go,  and  you  must 
do  so.  But  I  do  not  like  the  idea  of  leaving  thirty 
such  students  as  Howe,  Little,  and  Phillips  in  the  sole 
charge  of  Dr.  Carboy.  He  is  a  good  man  ;  but  he 
has  not  quite  tact  and  energy  enough  for  such  a  respon 
sibility." 

44  Suppose  I  take  them  with  me,"  suggested  Mr. 
Fluxion,  with  a  smile. 

44  That  is  hardly  practicable." 

44 1  mean  in  the  Josephine,"  added  the  vice-prin 
cipal. 

44  It's  a  long  voyage  round  through  the  Strait  of  Gib 
raltar." 


1 66  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

"  I  am  in  no  hurry  to  reach  Italy.  How  long  shall 
you  be  absent  in  Germany  ?  " 

"  About  three  weeks." 

"  Say  twenty-one  days,"  said  Mr.  Fluxion,  musing. 
'*  The  Josephine  is  a  fast  vessel.  Under  the  most 
favorable  circumstances,  she  would  make  the  run  in 
eight  days.  A  fair  passage  would  be  twelve  days.  If 
I  remain  one  day  in  Genoa,  where  my  sister  lives,  the 
cruise  would  last  twenty-five  days." 

"  A  few  days'  time,  or  a  week,  is  of  no  conse 
quence,"  added  Mr.  Lowington. 

"  But  suppose  you  take  the  ship  to  Lisbon,  on  your 
return,  and  I  will  meet  you  there,  say  about  the  twenty- 
seventh  or  eighth  of  the  month." 

"  I  rather  like  the  plan  ;  but  isn't  it  a  little  hard  on 
the  boys?" 

"  Not  at  all.  It's  giving  them  plenty  of  sea-service  ; 
but  that  is  what  they  need  for  their  complaint.  We 
shall  feed  them  well  on  fresh  provisions,  and  it  is  a 
pleasant  trip  up  the  Mediterranean  at  this  season  of 
the  year.  But  I  only  mention  the  idea  to  solve  the 
difficulty  you  suggest." 

"  I  will  consider  the  matter,  and  give  you  an  an 
swer  before  night,"  added  Mr.  Lowington,  thought 
fully. 

"  If  the  plan  is  adopted,  I  should  like  to  have  Peaks 
and  Bitts  with  me,  to  act  as  watch  officers  with  Cleats 
and  Gage." 

"  You  shall  have  them,"  replied  Mr.  Lowington,  as 
he  directed  the  officer  of  the  boat  to  call  his  crew, 
who  had  been  permitted  to  come  on  board. 

In  the  first  cutter's  crew  were  three  of  the  runaways, 


YOUXG    AMERICA    IN    GERMANY  1 67 

who  had  taken  the  opportunity  to  communicate  with 
Adler,  Phillips,  and  other  of  the  runaways  in  the  con 
sort.  After  each  party  had  related  to  the  other  its 
experience  in  rebellion,  and  commented  on  its  unsatis 
factory  results,  they  touched  upon  the  old  topic — .how 
to  get  to  Paris,  where  remittances  from  their  friends 
were  waiting  for  most  of  them. 

"  Old  Carboy  is  to  have  charge  of  ns  while  the 
crowd  are  gone,"  said  Sheffield,  irreverently.  "  We 
can  easily  come  it  over  him." 

"  If  we  can  only  get  on  shore,  we  are  all  right," 
added  Phillips. 

"  Only  we  have  no  money  to  pay  our  fare  to  Paris," 
interposed  Adler. 

"  I  can  raise  some,"  suggested  Sheffield.  "  My  father 
sent  me  a  letter  of  credit  on  a  Paris  banker ;  but  any 
banker  will  let  me  have  some  money  on  it,  if  I  draw 
on  Paris  in  his  favor." 

"  That's  the  idea  !  "  exclaimed  Adler.  "  I  have  a 
letter  also." 

"  But  we  are  not  to  go  together  this  time,"  added 
Little. 

"  Any  way,  if  we  are  only  to  go,"  said  Phillips,  as 
the  coxswain  of  the  first  cutter  called  away  his  crew, 
and  ended  the  conversation. 

It  was  renewed  as  soon  as  the  ship  was  reached 
and  the  boat  hauled  up.  The  runaways  had  aban 
doned  all  thought  of  joining  the  excursion  to  the 
Rhine ;  and  "  how  to  get  away"  was  an  exciting 
topic  to  them.  In  the  tops,  out  on  the  bowsprit,  and 
in  other  secluded  places,  small  knots  of  them  gathered 
to  discuss  the  subject.  Promises  made  to  do  better 


1 68  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

were  forgotten,  and  the  bitter  experience  of  the  past 
was  wholly  ignored.  If  they  could  get  away  from  the 
ship  or  the  consort,  —  in  whichever  one  they  were  to 
be  confined,  —  they  would  make  amends  for  all  their 
sufferings  and  all  their  humiliations.  Herman  and 
Little  were  especially  earnest,  though  they  still  avoided 
their  late  leader,  Howe.  Perth  was  regarded  as  lost 
to  them,  for  he  wore  a  white  ribbon  on  his  breast,  and 
had  done  his  duty  as  an  officer. 

"  We  will  all  be  pious  for  a  day  or  two,  till  Carboy 
closes  his  eyes,"  said  Little.  "  You,  and  Ibbotson,  and 
I  will  look  out  for  ourselves,  and  the  rest  of  the  fel 
lows  must  do  the  same.  I  have  an  idea." 

"  Have  you?     What  is  it?  "  demanded  Herman. 

"  We  shall  all  be  sent  on  board  the  Josephine  as 
soon  as  the  lambs  get  ready  to  start  for  Germany." 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  so,"  added  Herman,  eagerly. 

"  Then  it  will  be  an  easy  matter.  But  I  don't  want 
to  talk  about  it  yet.  Too  many  cooks  spoil  the  soup," 
continued  Little,  with  his  air  of  mysterious  assurance. 

"  Tell  us  what  it  is.     We  won't  mention  it." 

"  I've  got  it  all  arranged  ;  and  if  the  rest  of  our  fel 
lows  are  smart,  they  can  take  advantage  of  it.  We 
all  know  this  harbor  pretty  well,"  added  the  little 
villain. 

"Why  don't  you  tell  us  what  the  idea  is?" 

Little  rose  from  his  seat  in  the  main-top,  and  looked 
over  to  see  that  no  inquisitive  person  was  concealed 
on  the  cat-harpings. 

"  You  are  not  to  mention  it  to  any  one,  you  under 
stand,  or  hint  at  it.  We  three,  I  repeat,  are  to  look 
out  for  ourselves  only.  Ibbotson  is  to  find  the  money 
to  get  to  Paris,  and  I  furnish  the  brains." 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN    GERMANY.  169 

"What  ami  to  find?" 

"  Find  your  way  to  Paris,  if  you  can.  You  are  a 
good  fellow,  Herman,  and  I  will  take  you  in  because 
you  are  some  punkins." 

"  But  you  have'nt  told  us  the  plan,"  said  Ibbotson, 
not  particularly  pleased  with  the  self-sufficiency  of  his 
little  companion. 

"  I  will  tell  you,"  whispered  Little,  throwing  an 
arm  around  the  neck  of  each  of  his  friends,  and  draw 
ing  their  heads  together  near  his  mouth.  "  At  night, 
when  everything  is  quiet,  one  of  us  will  just  unbit  the 
cable,  and  let  it  run  out.  Then  another  shall  sing  out 
that  the  vessel  is  going  adrift.  That  will  make  a  row. 
Then  we  will  try  to  do  something.  You,  Herman, 
and  I,  will  offer  to  carry  a  line  to  another  vessel  —  the 
ship,  for  instance.  Carboy  —  who  don't  know  any 
more  about  a  vessel  than  a  kitten  does  of  the  ten  com 
mandments  —  will  tell  you  to  do  it.  Then  we  three 
will  jump  into  a  boat,  and  carry  off  the  line.  We  can 
carry  it  to  the  ship,  or  not,  just  as  we  think  best ;  but 
you  may  bet  your  life  we  don't  return  to  the  Jose 
phine  !  How  does  that  strike  you?" 

"  Yes  ;  but  where  are  Cleats  and  Gage  all  this  time? 
They  know  all  about  a  vessel,  if  Carboy  don't,"  sug 
gested  Herman. 

"  Wherever  you  please,"  replied  Little,  confidently. 

"  Suppose  they  happen  to  be  on  deck,  and  are  dis 
posed  to  take  the  boat  and  carry  out  the  line  them 
selves?" 

"  So  much  the  better !  Thanks  to  the  prudence 
and  good  management  of  the  principal,  there  are  four 
boats  belonging  to  the  Josephine,"  answered  the  little 


170  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

villain,  who  appeared  to  have  provided  for  every 
emergency  which  could  possibly  occur.  "  The  mo 
ment  the  boatswain  and  carpenter  are  clear  of  the 
vessel,  we  will  suggest  that  another  line  ought  to  be 
carried  to  some  other  vessel ;  and  Mr.  Carboy  will 
see  the  necessity  of  the  measure.'* 

"  Perhaps  he  won't  see  it,"  interposed  Ibbotson. 

"  Then  I'll  fall  overboard." 

"Fall  overboard?" 

"  Precisely  so,"  replied  Little. 

"  I  don't  see  what  that  has  to  do  with  it,"  said  Her 
man. 

"  Don't  you  ?  Well,  I  hope  you  and  Ibbotson  would 
have  the  courage  and  the  energy  to  save  me  from  a 
watery  grave,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing." 

"  What!  jump  in  after  you?"  inquired  Herman. 

"  No  !  How  heavy  your  wits  are  to-day  !  You 
need  not  dampen  your  trousers.  Just  drop  the  fourth 
cutter  into  the  water,  pick  me  up,  and  then  we  will 
find  our  way  to  the  shore." 

"  Some  other  fellows  might  take  it  into  their  heads 
to  rescue  you  from  a  watery  grave,  and  all  that  sort 
of  thing,"  added  Herman. 

u  If  they  do,  so  much  the  better  for  them.  You  and 
Ibbotson  must  make  sure  that  you  get  into  the  boat, 
whoever  else  does.  There  will  be  no  officers  to  bother, 
unless  Perth  happens  to  be  left  on  board.  If  he  is, 
all  right.  He  will  know  what  to  do.  If  the  other 
fellows  don't  want  to  go  to  Paris  with  us,  or  rather  on 
their  own  hook,  they  can  return  to  the  vessel,  and 
mildly  break  it  to  the  professor,  that  we  were  all 
drowned.  There  will  not  be  a  particle  of  trouble 


YOUNG    AMERICA    IN    GERMANY.  171 

about  the  business.  There  are  twenty  other  ways  of 
managing  the  case.  As  soon  as  the  lambs  are  off,  and 
we  are  put  on  board  of  the  Josephine,  we  will  arrange 
everything." 

"  Perhaps  we  shall  remain  in  the  ship,"  suggested 
Herman. 

"  So  much  the  worse  for  the  ship,  for  her  cable  can 
be  unbilled,  as  well  as  the  schooner's." 

«  That's  so." 

"  In  the  dark,  with  the  ship  adrift  and  liable  to  l>e 
thrown  on  shore,  or  to  run  afoul  of  another  vessel, 
there  will  be  a  big  excitement,  and  we  can  do  any 
thing  we  wish.  'When  the  rest  of  the  fellows  see 
what  is  up,  they  can  take  care  of  themselves,"  contin 
ued  Little,  who  did  not  believe  in  the  possibility  of  a 
failure. 

"  Very  well ;  we  will  suppose  we  get  on  shore  all 
right  —  what  then?  We  shall  be  in  Brest,  which  is  a 
fortified  city,  with  gates  through  which  none  can  pass 
without  permission,"  said  Ibbotson. 

"Never  mind  the  gates.  We  shall  leave  by  rail 
road  for  Paris.  As  soon  as  you  raise  some  money  to 
pay  for  the  tickets,  I  will  take  care  of  the  -rest." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  we  can  raise  the  money.  My 
father  sent  me  a  letter  of  credit  for  five  hundred  francs. 
I  heard  my  cousin  say  he  could  get  money  in  any  large 
city  on  his  letter  of  credit,  for  the  bankers  know  each 
other,"  added  Ibbotson. 

"  If  he  had  only  sent  you  a  circular  letter  of  credit, 
you  could  draw  almost  anywhere,"  said  Herman. 

"  Well,  if  we  can't  raise  any  money  on  the  letter,  I 
have  a  gold  watch  that  cost  about  a  hundred  dollars 


1^2  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

in  New  York.  I  can  raise  two  hundred  francs  on  it, 
and  redeem  it  when  we  come  back,"  continued  Ibbot- 
son. 

"  That's  the  talk ! "  exclaimed  Little.  "  I  like  to 
see  energy  in  a  fellow.  There  isn't  a  ghost  of  a  doubt 
in  my  mind  but  that  we  shall  be  in  Paris  in  two  or 
three  days  from  now." 

This  interesting  conversation  was  interrupted  by  the 
boatswain's  call,  piping  all  hands  to  muster.  The 
crew  were  then  drilled  for  an  hour  in  all  the  evolu 
tions  of  getting  under  way,  and  making  sail.  The 
runaways  dared  not  repeat  the  experiments  which  had 
been  tried  with  so  much  apparent  success  at  Havre, 
for  they  feared  the  squadron  would  be  sent  to  sea 
again  if  the  drill  was  not  perfect.  The  various  move 
ments  were  admirably  performed,  and  entirely  to  the 
satisfaction  of  Captain  Shuffles.  The  ship's  company 
were  then  piped  to  dinner.  When  they  came  on 
deck,  the  signal,  "  All  hands,  attend  lecture,"  was 
flying  on  board  the  ship.  This  was  a  hopeful  sign 
for  those  who  were  impatient  to  visit  the  Rhine,  and 
most  of  the  crew  were  ready  to  hear  Professor 
Mapps's  description  of  Germany. 

While  the  ship's  company  were  waiting  for  the 
arrival  of  the  Josephine's,  a  very  interesting  ceremony 
was  performed  in  the  waist.  The  Grand  Protectress 
of  the  Order  of  the  Faithful  raised  the  members  of 
the  second  degree  to  the  third,  adorning  them  with  the 
white  ribbon.  They  had  been  faithful  in  the  discharge 
of  all  their  duties,  and  Grace  insisted  that  all  the  mem 
bers  should  now  stand  on  an  equal  footing.  Those 
who  wore  the  yellow  ribbon  were  advanced  to  the 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  173 

second  degree ;  but  Grace  promised  them  that  if  they 

listened  attentively  to  the  lecture,  they  should  receive 

the  white  ribbon  before  night. 

With  the  crew  of  the  Josephine  came  Mr.  Fluxion, 

who  immediately  retired  to  the  main  cabin  with  the 
rincipal,  where  the  further  details  of  the  cruise  to 
jenoa  were  discussed.  It  was  finally  agreed  that  the 
nee-principal's  plan  should  be  adopted,  and  that  the 
osephine  should  sail  as  early  the  next  day  as  she  could 
>e  fitted  out  for  the  voyage.  The  two  vessels  were  to 
neet  at  Lisbon,  near  the  end  of  the  month,  and  from 
hat  port  proceed  on  the  homeward  voyage.  Peaks 
nd  Gage  were  sent  for,  and  were  very  willing  to  be 
emporarily  transferred  to  the  consort ;  while  Leach 
vas  to  remain  as  ship-keeper,  in  charge  of  the  Young 
\merica,  during  the  absence  of  the  party  in  Ger- 
nany, 

While  the  professor  was  engaged  upon  his  lecture 
n  the  steerage,  Mr.  Fluxion  returned  to  the  consort 
vith  the  two  forward  officers,  and,  taking  in  the  head 
teward,  proceeded  to  the  shore.  In  half  an  hour  a 
vater  boat  was  alongside  the  Josephine,  filling  up 
he  water  tanks  and  casks.  Later  in  the  day  several 
>hore  boats  came  off  to  deliver  the  provisions  and  sup 
plies  which  the  steward  had  purchased.  Before  night 
he  Josephine  was  ready  for  the  long  cruise  up  the 
VTediterranean,  though  none  of  the  students  on  board 
f  the  ship  knew  that  anything  unusual  was  in 
progress. 


174  DOWN    THE   RHINE,    OR 


CHAPTER  XI. 

A   SHORT    LECTURE    ON   GERMANY. 

IN  answer  to  the  summons  of  the  boatswain,  "  All 
hands,  attend  lecture,  ahoy ! "  both  ships'  com 
panies  assembled  in  the  steerage  of  the  Young  Ameri 
ca.  The  Arbuckles  had  seats  near  the  foremast,  on 
which  the  professor  displayed  his  maps,  diagrams, 
and  other  illustrations  of  his  teachings.  These  lec 
tures  were  received  with  different  degrees  of  favor  by 
various  students.  While  such  as  Paul  Kendall,  Shuf 
fles,  Gordon,  and  Tremere  regarded  them  as  very 
valuable  privileges,  others  considered  them  as  intolera 
ble  bores.  Some  were  interested  in  a  portion  of  the 
descriptions  and  historical  details,  others  closed  their 
ears  to  the  whole,  though  all  listened  to  anything 
that  could  be  considered  a  story. 

The  runaways  were  among  those  who  regarded  the 
present  lecture  —  since  they  did  not  expect  to  visit 
Germany  —  as  an  intolerable  nuisance.  They  were 
careful  to  select  places  where  they  could  listen  or  not, 
without  attracting  the  attention  of  the  professor.  Her 
man  and  Perth  had  seated  themselves  near  one  of  the 
gangways  before  the  boatswain  sounded  the  call.  The 
latter  held  a  very  doubtful  position  on  board.  Al 
though  he  wore  the  white  ribbon  of  the  Order  of  the 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN   GERMANY.  1 75 

Faithful,  it  was  a  problem  whether  he  was  in  sym 
pathy  with  the  objects  of  the  institution.  He  had 
declined  to  serve  as  a  seaman  in  place  of  the  muti 
neers  ;  but  in  spite  of  his  refusal,  he  took  his  place  at 
the  capstan,  and  went  aloft  when  the  order  was  given 
to  shake  out  the  topsails.  He  did  not  like  the  idea  of 
being  alone,  and  if  he  did  not  formally  recant  in  so 
many  words,  he  did  so  by  his  actions.  No  fault  could 
be  found  with  him,  so  far  as  the  faithful  discharge  of 
his  duty  was  concerned ;  still  his  position  was  not  al 
together  satisfactory. 

Not  only  the  faculty  and  the  officers  were  in  doubt 
in  regard  to  his  standing,  but  also  his  former  asso 
ciates.  He  had  done  nothing  to  indicate  his  regret  for 
the  past,  on  the  one  hand,  and  nothing  to  assure  his 
runaway  friends  that  he  was  still  in  sympathy  with 
them.  The  principal  did  not  know  where  to  put  him, 
and,  consequently,  was  unable  to  decide  whether  or 
not  he  should  be  relieved  from  the  penalty  of  his  trans 
gressions  in  the  Josephine,  and  be  permitted  to  accom 
pany  the  party  to  Germany. 

"Are  you  going  to  the  Rhine  with  the  rest  of  the 
fellows,  Perth?"  asked  Herman,  as  they  seated  them 
selves  at  the  opening  of  Gangway  B. 

44  That's  more  than  I  know  ;  but  I  suppose  not,  for 
I  am  considered  too  wicked,"  replied  the  master, 
lightly. 

44 1  thought  you  had  joined  the  lambs." 

"  Nichtviel!" 

44  What  do  you  mean  by  that?  " 

44  Not  much  !  " 

44  We  all  thought  so.     You  have  hardly  spoken  a 


176  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

word  to  one  of  our  fellows  since   you  went  into  the 
cabin,"  added  Herman. 

"  Well,  I've  prayed  for  you  all  the  same.  I  de 
clined  to  take  a  seaman's  place  when  you  fellows  in 
the  steerage  slopped  over,  and  wouldn't  come  to 
time." 

"  You  didn't,  though  !  " 

"  I  did,  though  ;  but  I  couldn't  stand  alone,  and  I 
sort  of  backed  out,  just  as  the  rest  of  you  did,  and 
went  to  work  at  the  braces  and  buntlines." 

"  Then  you  really  are  not  a  lamb?" 

"  Not  if  I  know  myself!  I  didn't  do  anything  to 
get  into  the  cabin  ;  so  it  isn't  my  fault  that  I'm  there. 
Whether  I  go  to  the  Rhine  or  not,  I  suppose  it  is  cer 
tain  enough  that  the  rest  of  our  fellows  will  not." 

"No  ;  we  have  spoiled  all  our  chances." 

"  There's  no  doubt  of  that,"  laughed  Perth. 

"  But  we  are  going  to  Paris,"  added  Herman,  in  a 
whisper.  "We  have  the  wires  all  laid  down." 

"Are  you,  though?"  said  Perth,  deeply  interested 
in  the  communication.  "I  should  like  to  go  with 
you." 

"  But  we  are  not  going  in  a  bunch  ;  only  two  or  three 
in  a  squad.  Don't  say  anything  to  any  of  our  fellows 
about  it." 

"  I  never  says  nothing  to  nobody,"  laughed  Perth. 
"But  I  want  to  know  more  about  it." 

"  The  arrangements  are  all  made,  and  I  don't  think 
there  is  any  chance  to  fail." 

"  Good ! " 

But  the  professor  commenced  his  lecture  at  this 
point,  and  the  steerage  was  hushed,  so  that  it  was  not 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  1 77 

prudent  even  to  whisper.  The  students  were  all  re 
quired,  at  these  lectures,  to  be  prepared  with  paper 
and  pencils,  so  that  they  could  take  notes,  especially 
of  dates  and  statistics. 

"  Our  party  consists  of  Little,  Ibbotson  and  myself," 
Herman  wrote  on  his  paper,  which  he  placed  so  that 
Perth  could  read  it. 

"  Have  you  any  stamps?"  Perth  wrote. 

"No  ;  but  Ibbotson  has  a  letter  of  credit  on  which 
he  can  raise  some." 

"My  uncle,  in  Glasgow,  sent  me  twenty  pounds  — 
four  five-pound  notes  —  at  the  request  of  my  father. 
I  got  it  at  Havre,"  wrote  Perth.  "  I  will  join  you  in 
Paris  if  I  go  to  Germany  ;  if  not,  I  will  start  with 
you.  Pop.  N.  Ger.,  28  mill.;  S.  Ger.,  12.5  mill.; 
total,  40.5  mill. ;  about  equal  to  pop.  of  France." 

The  sudden  change  in  the  style  of  the  second  mas 
ter's  notes  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  the  prin 
cipal  entered  the  steerage  at  the  moment  indicated  by 
the  break  in  the  conversation  between  the  two  run 
aways.  They  were  in  the  rear  of  all  the  other  stu 
dents,  and  were  fully  exposed  to  Mr.  Lowington's 
gaze  as  he  passed  out  of  the  main  cabin.  Perhaps  he 
did  not  think^lt  was  quite  natural  for  such  students  as 
Perth  and  Herman  to  be  engaged  so  industriously  in 
taking  notes ;  or  it  may  be  that  his  practised  eye  fully 
comprehended  at  a  glance  the  nature  of  their  occupa 
tion.  The  instant  the  door  opened,  Herman  slyly 
slipped  off  the  sheet  on  which  he  had  been  writing, 
and  thrust  it  into  his  pocket.  Perth  had  written  over 
one  of  his  small  pages  of  note  paper,  and  begun  upon  a 
second.  He  had,  when  his  companion  had  read  what 

12 


178  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

he  wrote  upon  it,  slipped  the  first  sheet  into  the  atlas, 
which  served  as  a  desk  for  him. 

Mr.  Lowington  walked  to  the  vicinity  of  Gangway 
B,  and  paused  there.  Perth  turned  down  the  upper 
part  of  the  sheet,  on  which  he  had  written  the  last 
part  of  his  message  to  Herman,  so  that  nothing  objec 
tionable  appeared  on  it,  even  if  the  principal  took  it 
into  his  head  to  look  over  his  shoulder.  Perth  was 
not  at  all  flurried  —  he  was  too  old  a  rogue  to  commit 
himself  by  any  weakness ;  and  when  he  had  written 
down  the  statement  of  the  professor,  he  paused  and 
looked  at  the  speaker,  as  though  he  was  wholly  and 
entirely  absorbed  in  the  lecture.  The  entrance  of 
Mr.  Lowington  caused  many  of  the  students  to  look 
behind  them,  as  boys  will  do  in  school,  on  the  smallest 
pretence.  Mr.  Mapps  insisted  upon  the  students'  at 
tention,  and  he  paused  till  his  hearers  had  gratified 
their  curiosity. 

Mr.  Lowington  did  not  appear  to  be  quite  satisfied 
with  the  conduct  of  Perth,  and,  reaching  over  the 
shoulder  of  the  second  master,  he  took  the  paper  from 
the  atlas.  Of  course  this  act  produced  a  sensation 
among  the  boys  ;  the  most  insignificant  ev^ent  creates  a 
sensation  in  the  school-room.  Mr.  M$j>ps  lowered 
the  pointer,  and  intimated  by  his  actions  that  he 
did  not  intend  to  proceed  till  order  was  restored. 
Perth  .was  confounded  this  time,  if  he  never  was 
before. 

"  What  kind  of  a  lecture  are  you  delivering,  Mr. 
Mapps?  "  asked  the  principal,  with  a  smile. 

"A  lecture  on  Germany,  such  as  I  have  usually 
given  on  these  occasions." 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN     GERMANY.  179 

"  As  this  young  gentleman  writes  it  down,  it  seems 
to  me  rather  a  singular  lecture.  I  will  read  it." 

Perth  wanted  to  drop  through  into  the  hold. 

"  '  I  will  join  you  in  Paris  if  I  go  to  Germany  ;  if 
not,  I  will  start  with  you.  Population  North  Germany, 
twenty-eight  millions ;  South  Germany,  twelve  and  a 
half  millions ;  total,  forty  and  a  half  millions ;  about 
equal  to  population  of  France/  The  latter  part  seems 
to  be  a  little  more  germane  than  the  first  part.  c  I 
will  join  you  in  Paris  if  I  go  to  Germany/  is  rather 
paradoxical,  and  I  conclude  that  the  young  gentle 
man  has  not  correctly  reported  this  part  of  your  lec 
ture." 

"  I  think  not,  sir,"  laughed  Mr.  Mapps.  "  I  do  not 
remember  saying  anything  about  going  to  Paris." 

"  Well,  Mr.  Perth,  I  recommend  that  you  take  a 
seat  nearer  to  the  professor,  so  that  you  can  under 
stand  him  better ;  for  certainly  you  make  very  bad 
work  of  taking  notes,"  added  Mr.  Lowington,  as  he 
pointed  to  a  seat  near  the  foremast. 

Perth  walked  forward,  and  took  the  place  indicated. 
Mr.  Mapps  proceeded  with  the  lecture ;  but  it  is 
doubtful  whether  the  second  master  understood  him 
any  better  than  before,  he  was  so  completely  absorbed 
by  the  consideration  of  the  little  difficulty  into  which 
he  had  so  heedlessly  plunged  himself.  After  all,  the 
situation  was  not  so  bad  as  it  might  be.  The  princi 
pal  could  make  nothing  of  the  sentence  he  had  read, 
and  as  nothing  had  been  found  upon  Herman,  he 
could  trust  to  his  ingenuity  to  explain  away  the  mean 
ing  of  it.  So  he  used  his  brain  in  trying  to  devise  a 
solution  of  the  sentence  which  would  satisfy  the  prin- 


1 80  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

cipal,  instead  of  attending  to  the  lecture,  which  he 
feared  would  have  no  practical  value  to  him. 

A  large  majority  of  the  students  were  deeply  inter 
ested  in  the  remarks  of  the  professor,  and  as  they  were 
to  be  in  Germany  in  a  few  days,  even  the  dry  statis 
tics  were  considerably  valued.  As  it  would  not  be 
civil  to  report  the  professor's  lecture  from  the  middle, 
where  it  was  interrupted  by  the  entrance  of  the  prin 
cipal,  it  is  necessary  to  return  to  the  commencement 
of  it. 

"What  is  the  German  for  Germany?"  asked  the 
professor,  as  he  picked  up  his  pointer. 

"  Deutschland." 

"The  French?" 

"  Allemagne." 

"  Germany  can  hardly  be  called  a  nation,  though  in 
some  respects  it  is  similar  to  the  United  States.  It  is 
a  confederation  of  nations,  though  the  people  speak 
the  same  language,  and  are  united  by  many  other 
common  ties  of  manners  and  customs,  as  well  as  of 
contiguity  of  territory.  But  it  is  peculiar  in  some  re 
spects,  as,  Prussia  is  a  nation,  under  its  own  king  and 
laws ;  but  only  a  portion  of  it  belongs  to  Germany. 
Austria  *  is  an  empire,  under  its  own  emperor ;  but 
only  a  part  of  his  dominions  are  represented  in  the 
Germanic  Confederation.  Its  several  states  are  united 
for  some  specific  purposes,  such  as  the  collection  of 

*  Professor  Mapps  describes  Germany  as  it  was  before  the 
war  of  1866,  and  the  subsequent  reconstruction  of  North  Ger 
many.  In  "NORTHERN  LANDS,  OR  YOUNG  AMERICA  IN 
PRUSSIA  AND  RUSSIA,"  the  present  status  of  Germany  will 
be  explained. 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  l8l 

certain  taxes,  and  mutual  defence.  In  other  respects 
its  empires,  kingdoms,  duchies,  &c.,  are  independent 
nations,  making  their  own  laws,  and  regulating  their 
own  affairs." 

"  I  don't  exactly  understand  the  relations  of  Austria 
and  Prussia  to  the  Germanic  Confederation,"  said 
Paul  Kendall.  "  How  can  part  of  them  belong  to  the 
confederation  without  the  whole?" 

"  Very  easily,"  replied  the  professor  ;  "  though,  if 
you  ask  me  why  a  part,  and  not  the  whole,  of  Prussia 
or  Austria  should  be  included  in  the  Germanic  Con 
federation,  I  cannot  tell  you,  unless  it  be  to  preserve 
'  ancient  landmarks/  The  province  of  Prussia  proper 
was  not  German  ;  and  that  may  be  a  very  good  rea 
son  why  it  never  should  be.  Germany  is  a  league  of 
the  several  sovereignties  into  which  the  old  German 
empire  had  fallen.  The  archduchy  of  Austria  was, 
and  Hungary  was  not,  German,  in  the  reign  of  the 
emperors.  Holstein-Lauenburg  *  belongs  to  Den 
mark,  but  belongs,  at  the  same  time,  to  Germany. 
Of  the  eight  provinces  of  Prussia,  two  are  not  in 
cluded  in  the  confederation.  Of  the  twenty-one  states 
or  provinces  which  constitute  the  Austrian  empire, 
eleven  are  German. 

14 1  can  see  no  good  reason  why,  if  the  Germanic 
league  is  of  any  service,  the  provinces  of  Prussia  and 
Posen  should  not  be  admitted,  as  well  as  the  other  six 
divisions  of  the  kingdom  of  Prussia.  We  take  the 
fact  as  we  find  it.  Germany,  then,  is  simply  a  union 
of  states  for  certain  purposes.  It  is  not,  in  any  proper 

*  Annexed  to  Prussia  in  1866. 


1 82  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

sense,  a  nation.  It  does  not  send  representatives  to 
foreign  countries,  and  it  can  make  laws  and  regula 
tions  only  to  cover  the  purposes  of  the  league. 

"  In  1863  there  were  thirty-four  states  represented 
in  the  confederation.  The  empire  of  Austria  cast 
four  votes  in  the  general  convention  ;  the  kingdoms  of 
Prussia,  Bavaria,  Saxony,  Hanover,  and  Wurtemburg, 
also  four  each ;  other  states,  grand  duchies,  duchies, 
electorates,  principalities,  landgraviates,  and  free  cities, 
from  one  to  three,  according  to  their  size  and  impor 
tance.  These  representatives  meet  at  Frankfort,  which 
is  the  capital  of  Germany.  The  population  of  North 
ern  Germany  is  about  twenty-eight  millions  ;  of  South 
ern  Germany,  twelve  and  a  half  millions ;  making 
about  forty  and  a  half  millions,  or  about  equal  to  that 
of  France. 

"  Of  the  early  history  of  Germany  there  is  no  au 
thentic  record.  The  ancient  Romans  had  no  knowl 
edge  of  the  people  north  of  the  Danube  and  east  of 
the  Rhine,  except  as  the  barbarous  tribes  who  made 
incursions  into  their  territory.  Wljen  Gaul  came  into 
the  possession  of  the  Romans,  they  learned  more  of 
the  barbarians  of  the  north,  who  were  called  Ger- 
mani  —  a  word  which  is  probably  derived  from  ger, 
a  spear,  indicating  their  warlike  character.  Among 
these  tribes  were  the  Teutons,  the  Saxons,  the  Franks, 
the  Goths,  the  Vandals,  the  Gauls,  whose  names  are 
common  in  history.  Clovis,  the  ancient  sovereign  of 
the  Frankish  empire,  and  his  successors,  conquered 
these  tribes,  and  incorporated  their  territory  in  the 
Empire  of  the  West,  which  reached  the  height  of  its 
glory  under  the  reign  of  Charlemagne.  His  son 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  183 

Louis  was  too  weak  to  rule  so  vast  a  realm,  and  in 
843  the  empire  was  divided  into  three  parts,  and  given 
to  his  three  sons.  France  became  the  portion  of 
Charles  the  Bald  ;  Italy ,*of  Lothaire  ;  and  Germany, 
of  Louis.  At  this  time  the  German  kingdom  ex 
tended  from  the  Rhine  to  the  Elbe,  and  from  the  Ger 
man  Ocean  to  the  Danube. 

"  During  the  succeeding  century,  Germany  was  par 
titioned  into  three  smaller  divisions,  became  a  part  of 
France  again,  and  the  throne  was  subverted  by  the 
nobles,  who  elected  the  kings.  Portions  of  Italy,  and 
other  territory  beyond  the  Elbe,  were  conquered.  I 
will  not  weary  you  even  by  mentioning  the  line  of 
kings  who  followed.  Their  dominions  were  torn  by 
dissensions,  while  they  struggled  to  increase  their 
power.  In  1273,  Count  Rudolph  of  Hapsburg  was 
elected  emperor,  and,  after  a  fierce  struggle  with  the 
unruly  barons,  succeeded  in  establishing  his  authority, 
and  in  obtaining  possession  of  the  dukedom  of  Aus 
tria,  and  several  other  provinces.  The  house  of  Haps 
burg  has  to  the  present  time  retained  the  throne  of 
Austria. 

"Jealous  of  the  growing  power  of  the  Hapsburgs, 
the  nobles  elected  Adolph,  Count  of  Nassau,  Emperor 
of  Germany  ;  but  Albert,  Rudolph's  son  and  successor, 
wrested  the  crown  from  him.  The  Hapsburgs  had 
possessions  in  Switzerland,  when  the  house  obtained 
its  power  in  Austria,  and  they  held  them  as  dependen 
cies  upon  the  dukedom.  The  Swiss  revolted  in  the 
reign  of  Albert,  and  their  long  and  severe  struggle  for 
independence  was  commenced  at  this  time. 

"  During  the  reign  of  Sigismund,  one  of  the  succes- 


154  DOWN   THE   RHINE,   OR 

sors  of  Albert,  John  Huss,  the  reformer,  was  burned 
at  the  stake  at  Constance,  whither  he  had  gone  with 
the  safe-conduct  of  the  emperor.  His  martyrdom 
caused  the  Hussite  war,  in*which  several  severe  bat 
tles  were  fought,  including  one  at  Prague.  In  1593, 
Maximilian  I. -succeeded  to  the  throne;  and  in  his 
reign  the  Reformation  by  Luther  began.  Charles  V., 
the  grandson  of  Maximilian,  —  of  whom  I  spoke  to 
you  in  giving  the  history  of  Holland  and  Belgium, — 
united  the  crowns  of  Spain,  Germany,  the  Nether 
lands,  and  Naples,  and  the  empire  became  the  leading 
power  of  Europe.  The  Reformation  produced  fierce 
dissensions  and  savage  contests.  Charles  was  obliged, 
sorely  against  his  will,  to  grant  privileges  to  his  Lu 
theran  subjects.  But  he  was  disgusted  with  power,  and 
resigned  his  crown.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  brother, 
Ferdinand  L,  as  Emperor  of  Germany,  and  by  his 
son,  Philip  II.,  as  King  of  Spain  ;  to  whom,  also,  he 
gave  his  possessions  in  the  Netherlands.  The  dissen 
sions  in  the  empire  enabled  France  on  the  west  and 
Turkey  on  the  east  to  wrest  valuable  possessions  from 
it.  The  successors  of  Charles  V.  were  unable  to 
breast  the  storm  of  progress  successfully,  and  the  im 
perial  authority  was  completely  shattered.  The  power 
of  the  petty  rujers  of  small  states  increased  and  over 
shadowed  that  of  the  central  authority. 

"  The  emperors  Ferdinand  and  Matthias  treated  the 
Protestants  with  so  much  severity,  committing  the 
most  flagrant  outrages  upon  them,  that  it  brought  on 
the  Thirty  Years'  War.  When  Matthias  died,  the  in 
surgents  declared  the  throne  vacant,  and  chose  the 
Elector  Frederick  emperor.  The  Protestant  princes 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  185 

• 

fought  for  him,  while  the  Catholic  powers  sustained 
Ferdinand  II.,  Archduke  of  Austria.  Peace  was  es 
tablished,  by  the  treaty  of  Westphalia,  in  1648,  by 
which  Germany  lost  a  portion  of  her  territory.  After 
these  events,  the  power  of  the  emperors  waned  still 
more,  until  their  title  was  little  more  than  a  surname 
of  the  rulers  of  Austria.  When  Prussia  became  a 
great  Protestant  power,  under  Frederick  the  Great, 
she  was  a  check  upon  Austria,  and  prevented  the  lat 
ter  from  reestablishing  the  ancient  power  of  the  Ger 
man  empire. 

"  The  French  revolution  practically  destroyed  the 
empire.  Francis  II.  of  Austria,  overwhelmed  by  Na 
poleon,  ceded  to  him  the  country  on  the  left  bank  of 
the  Rhine.  When  the  Rhenish  Confederation  of  Na 
poleon  was  formed,  in  1806,  Francis  resigned  the 
crown  of  the  German  empire,  which  was  thus  for 
mally  dissolved.  Many  changes  in  territorial  limits 
were  made,  and  the  free  cities  lost  their  independence. 
The  country  was  either  actually  or  virtually  subject  to 
Napoleon,  who  dictated  its  policy,  and  levied  heavy 
contributions  upon  it. 

"  As  it  was  not  possible  for  all  these  small  states  to 
maintain  their  separate  independence  unaided,  when 
the  Allied  Powers  had  driven  Napoleon  from  Europe, 
and  restored  the  nations  to  their  original  condition,  it 
became  necessary  to  regulate  the  affairs  of  Germany. 
Prussia  objected  to  an  independent  empire,  whose 
power  might  endanger  her  safety  and  progress  ;  and  a 
confederation  of  the  states  was  formed  in  1815,  which 
exists  at  the  present  time."  * 

*  Dissolved  in  1866. 


1 36  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

The  professor  continued  to  describe  the  country,  and 
to  define  the  powers  and  duties  of  the  Federal  Diet ; 
but  as  many  changes  have  been  made  in  the  govern 
ment  and  in  the  states,  it  is  not  necessary  to  transcribe 
his  remarks  to  these  pages.  He  promised,  as  occasion 
might  offer  on  their  travels,  to  give  the  students  further 
explanations  of  the  nature  of  the  territory,  govern 
ments,  and  local  peculiarities  of  the  several  states 
they  might- visit.  The  boys  were  satisfied  with  this 
arrangement,  and  the  session  was  closed.  The  boat 
swain  immediately  piped  all  hands  to  muster  on  deck. 

"  Whom  do  you  purpose  to  join  in  Paris,  if  you 
go  to  Germany?"  asked  Mr.  Lowington,  when  Perth 
appeared  among  the  officers. 

"  My  uncle,"  replied  the  second  master,  promptly. 

"  Your  uncle  from  Glasgow,  I  suppose  you  mean." 

"  Yes,  sir.  He  wrote  me  that  he  should  be  in  Paris 
early  this  month." 

"  How  happened  you  to  be  writing  the  sentence  on 
your  paper?" 

"  I  was  writing  a  letter  which  I  intended  to  copy 
with  ink,  as  soon  as  I  had  time." 

"  Have  you  the  rest  of  the  letter?  " 

"  No,  sir  ;  I  tore  it  up  just  now." 

"  Will  you  be  kind  enough  to  produce  your  uncle's 
letter?"  said  the  principal,  quietly. 

"  I  don't  keep  my  letters,  sir  ;  and  I  destroyed  it  as 
soon  as  I  had  read  it." 

*'  I  suppose  you  did,"  replied  Mr.  Lowington,  sig 
nificantly.  "  But  if  you  don't  go  to  Germany,  what 
then  ?  I  think  you  wrote  the  words,  *  I  will  start  with 
you.'" 


YOUNG  AMERICA  IN  GERMANY.  187 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"Start  from  where?" 

"  From  here." 

"  I  don't  understand  it." 

"  I  was  going  to  write  to  uncle  Donald,  that,  if  I 
went  to  Germany,  I  would  see  him  in  Paris  as  we 
pass  through  that  city.  If  I  did  not  go,  I  wanted  him 
to  come  here,  and  take  me  to  Paris  with  him." 

"  And  you  think  this  explains  what  you  wrote  upon 
your  note  paper?"  inquired  the  principal. 

"  As  I  understand  it,  sir,  it  does." 

"  Was  Herman  expected  to  join  your  party?  " 

"  No,  sin" 

"  I  observed  that  he  seemed  to  be  much  interested 
in  what  y6u  were  writing,  and  that  you  took  some 
pains  to  let  him  see  your  paper.  Your  explanation  is 
not  satisfactory,  and  I  should  not  dare  to  take  you  to 
Germany,  lest  you  should  miss  your  uncle  on  the  way. 
Perhaps  he  had  better  come  to  Brest  himself.  When 
do  you  expect  him  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  when  he  is  coming,  sir,"  replied 
Perth,  rather  abashed  to  find  his  explanation  had  ob 
tained  so  little  consideration. 

"  Have  you  any  money,  Perth  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Lowing- 
ton,  suddenly. 

"  No,  sir." 

"Not  a  few  francs,  even?" 

"  Perhaps  I  have  a  few  English  pence." 

"  Haven't  you  a  few  English  pounds?" 

"No,  sir." 

"Just  think  a  little,  before  you  answer." 

"If  I  had  even  a  pound,  I  should  be  likely  to  re 
member  it,  sir." 


iS8  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

"  I  should  say  you  would ;  and  twenty  times  as 
likely  to  remember  it,  if  you  had  twenty  pounds," 
added  the  principal. 

"  O,  I  haven't  anything  like  that,  sir." 

"You  have  an  astonishingly  bad  memory,  Perth. 
You  received  a  letter  from  your  uncle  in  Glasgow, 
while  you  were  at  Havre.  Do  you  remember  that  ?  " 

"  Certainly  I  do,  sir,"  replied  Perth,  wondering  what 
the  principal  could  mean  by  such  pointed  questions. 

Was  it  possible  that  Mr.  Lowington  had  read 
what  he  wrote  on  the  first  sheet  of  note  paper?  He 
thrust  his  hand  into  his  pocket,  and  the  sheet  was 
there  as  he  had  taken  it  from  the  atlas. 

"  You  do  remember  the  letter?  " 

"  To  be  sure  I  do,  sir." 

"And  don't  you  remember  that  there  were  four 
five-pound  notes  in  it,  numbering  from  thirty-three 
thousand  eight  hundred  forty-five  to  eight,  inclusive  ? 
It  is  very  singular,  indeed,  that  you  have  forgotten 
this  little  circumstance." 

Perth  was  confounded  by  this  revelation.  He  saw 
that  he  was  caught,  and  that  it  was  useless  for  him  to 
say  anything  more ;  so  he  wisely  held  his  peace. 

"  If  your  uncle  has  not  changed  his  mind  within 
three  days,  he  has  no  more  intention  of  coming  to 
France  than  I  have  of  going  to  Glasgow.  I  received 
a  letter  from  him  to-day,  since  the  ship  came  to  an 
chor,  forwarded  from  Havre  after  we  left.  The  writer 
was  confined  to  the  house  with  a  severe  attack  of 
rheumatism.  In  the  quiet  of  his  chamber,  he  had  an 
opportunity  to  consider  whether  he  had  done  right  to 
send  you  twenty  pounds,  even  with  the  advice  of  your 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  189 

father,  without  informing  me  of  the  fact.  He  thought 
the  sum  was  a  large  one  for  a  young  man  to  have,  and 
he  desires  me  to  see  that  you  make  a  proper  use  of  it. 
I  will  trouble  you  to  hand  me  the  money,  which  shall 
be  placed  to  your  credit,  and  receipted  for  by  the 
pursers."  • 

"  I  haven't  the  money  now,  sir,"  replied  Perth,  who 
was  fully  resolved  to  run  away  at  the  first  convenient 
opportunity*  and  wanted  the  money  to  pay  his  ex 
penses. 

"Where  is  it?" 

"  I  sent  it  to  a  banker  —  " 

"  Silence  !  Don't  blacken  your  soul  with  any  more 
falsehoods,  Perth,"  interrupted  the  principal,  sternly. 

"  You  may  search  me,  sir,"  replied  the  second  mas 
ter,  throwing  out  his  arms,  as  though  he  were  ready 
to  submit  to  the  operation. 

"  I  may,  but  I  do  not  choose  to  do  so  at  present. 
Keep  your  eye  on  him,  Peaks,"  added  the  principal, 
as  he  walked  forward  to  his  usual  stand  on  the  hatch. 

"  You  are  foolish,  Master  Perth,"  said  the  old  boat 
swain,  shaking  his  head ;  for  he  had  been  the  only 
person  who  had  listened  to  the  interview,  and  ap 
peared  to  be  present  for  a  purpose. 

Perth  put  his  hands  in  his  pockets.  He  felt  the 
paper  on  which  he  had  written  during  the  lecture. 
It  would  be  a  dangerous  document  in  case  he  should 
be  searched  ;  for  its  contents  would  expose  him,  and 
implicate  others.  As  slyly  and  as  quickly  as  he  could, 
he  took  it  out,  tore  it  into  small  bits,  and  threw  it  out 
the  open  port  into  the  water. 

"What's  that?"  demanded  Peaks,  seizing  him  by 
the  collar. 


IO,O  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

"  You  are  too  late,"  answered  Perth. 

"  What  was  it  you  tore  up?" 

"  The  five-pound  notes." 

"  Tell  that  to  the  marines !  "  exclaimed  the  old  sailor- 

"They  are  gone  to  Davy  Jones's  locker  now,"  re 
plied  Perth,  shaking  his  head. 

Peaks  instantly  reported  the  matter  to  the  principal, 
who,  however,  did  not  deem  it  necessary  to  take  any 
immediate  action.  Probably  he  did  not  believe  the 
young  wretch  had  destroyed  the  bills  ;  or,  if  he  had, 
it  was  his  own  loss.  Perth  stood  silent  and  sullen, 
while  Mr.  Lowington  spoke  to  the  students,  announ 
cing  the  arrangements  for  the  excursion  to  the  Rhine. 
The  delinquent  was  certain,  by  this  time,  that  he  was 
not  to  be  one  of  the  party  ;  but  he  hoped,  if  he  saved 
his  money,  that  he  should  find  an  opportunity  to  es 
cape  from  the  squadron  soon  after  his  shipmates 
started  on  their  journey. 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  19! 


CHAPTER  XII. 

A   MYSTERIOUS   MOVEMENT. 

"  "X  7"OUNG  gentlemen,"  said  Mr.  Lowington,  as 

j[  he  stepped  upon  the  hatch,  after  disposing 
of  Perth's  case,  "  we  shall  commence  our  tour  to  the 
Rhine  to-morrow  morning." 

A  hearty  demonstration  of  applause  greeted  this  an 
nouncement,  and  doubtless  those  who  had  been  faith 
ful  from  the  beginning  realized  a  certain  sense  of 
triumph,  because  they  were  justified  in  their  hopes. 

"  We  shall  leave  in  the  first  train  for  Paris,  where 
we  will  spend  the  night,  and  proceed  to  Strasburg  the 
next  day.  From  this  point  we  shall  enter  Germany, 
and  after  visiting  several  places  of  interest,  such  as 
Fribourg,  Baden,  Schaffhausen,  Stuttgart,  Carlsruhe, 
Heidelberg,  and  Frankfort.  We  shall  take  the  steam 
er  at  Mayence,  and  go  down  the  Rhine  as  far  as  Co 
logne.  This  excursion  will  enable  you  to  see  all  of 
the  river  which  is  worth  seeing.  You  have  already 
seen  the  Rhine  in  Holland,  and  at  Basle.  All  its  pic 
turesque  portions  are  crowded  into  the  space  of  less 
than  a  hundred  miles,  which  you  can  witness  from 
the  deck  of  a  steamer  in  a  single  day,  if  such  haste 
were  necessary. 

"  As  we  leave  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning,  it 


Ip2  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

will  be  best  to  make  our  arrangements  to-night.  On 
our  return  to  Havre,  Captain  Shuffles  requested  me  to 
allow  all  hands  to  join  in  this  excursion." 

A  few  half-suppressed  hisses  from  some  of  the  run 
aways  were  promptly  drowned  in  a  sea  of  applause 
from  the  Order  of  the  Faithful. 

"  I  had  the  subject  under  consideration,  and  it  would 
have  afforded  me  very  great  pleasure  to  grant  the  re 
quest  ;  but  the  conduct  of  those  in  whose  favor  it  was 
made  has  been  such,  since  we  left  Havre,  that  I  am 
unable  to  grant  it.  I  shall,  therefore,  be  obliged  again 
to  leave  thirty-one  of  your  number  on  board  of  the 
Josephine  during  the  absence  of  the  others." 

The  runaways,  to  the  astonishment,  if  not  the  horror, 
of  the  Faithful,  warmly  applauded  this  announcement. 
It  was  equivalent  to  saying  they  did  not  wish  to  join 
the  excursion.  The  principal  made  no  remark,  though 
the  applause  was  certainly  impudent ;  but  doubtless 
he  was  fully  reconciled  to  the  little  arrangement  he 
had  made  with  Mr.  Fluxion. 

"  Those  who  are  to  go  will  bring  their  bags  on 
board  of  the  ship,  and  sleep  here  to-night,"  continued 
Mr.  Lowington.  "  Those  who  are  not  to  go  will  take 
their  bags  on  board  the  Josephine.  If  there  is  any 
doubt  as  to  who  the  thirty-one  are,  their  names  will 
be  read." 

No  one  called  for  the  reading  of  the  names,  for  there 
was  no  one  who  needed  to  be  enlightened.  The  stu 
dents  were  dismissed,  and  the  boats  from  the  consort 
returned.  In  a  short  time,  the  runaways,  who  be 
longed  to  the  ship's  company,  appeared  upon  deck 
with  their  luggage.  They  seemed  to  be  rather  jubi- 


YOUNG  AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  193 

lant  than  otherwise ;  and  though  their  manner  was 
very  offensive,  the  principal  took  no  notice  of  it,  as  it 
was  not  openly  insolent,  consisting  only  of  a  real  or 
assumed  expression  of  pleasure  at  the  sentence  pro 
nounced  against  them.  All  of  them  expected  to 
escape  from  the  consort  during  the  administration 
of  Dr.  Carboy,  and  they  regarded  a  couple  of  weeks 
in  Paris  and  Switzerland,  free  from  restraint,  as  ample 
compensation  for  the  deprivation. 

"Let  those  laugh  that  w,in,"  said  Herman,  when 
Home,  one  of  the  Faithful,  ventured  to  sympathize 
with  him  in  the  misfortune  of  being  left  behind. 

"  I  don't  see  what  you  can  win  doing  duty  and  learn 
ing  your  lessons  on  board  of  the  Josephine,"  added 
Home. 

"  Don't  you  cry,  my  hearty.  You  will  hear  from 
us  by  the  time  you  get  halfway  down  the  Rhine  ;  and 
if  we  don't  have  a  better  time  than  you  do,  it  will  be 
because  we  don't  know  how." 

"  Well,  I  suppose  you  do  know  Howe,"  answered 
Home,  with  a  smile,  which  indicated  that  he  enjoyed 
even  a  sickly  pun.  "  I  should  think  you  had  known 
him  to  your  sorrow." 

"  Howe  has  played  out.  I  expect  Lowington  will 
get  boozy  on  this  excursion." 

"Why  so?" 

"  Because  he's  going  to  take  a  Home  on  the  trip." 

"  Pretty  good  !     I  see  you  know  Howe." 

"  We  know  how  to  have  a  good  time,  and  we  can 
do  it  without  any  sheep's  wool." 

"  Are  you  going  to  run  away  in  the  Josephine  again, 
Herman?" 

13 


194  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

"  No  ;  that's  played  out." 

But  the  runaway  was  reminded,  by  this  question, 
that  he  had  been  talking  rather  imprudently,  and  he 
left  his  companion  for  more  genial  associates. 

Perth  still  stood  on  the  quarter-deck,  waiting  the 
action  of  the  principal,  who  had  sent  the  head  stew 
ard  to  overhaul  the  state-room  of  the  delinquent.  The 
money  could  not  be  found  in  the  cabin,  though  several 
of  the  officers,  who  were  there,  assisted  in  the  search. 

"  What  have  you  done  with  the  twenty  pounds  sent 
you  by  your  uncle,  Perth?"  asked  Mr.  Lowington, 
when  the  steward  had  reported  to  him. 

"  Thrown  it  overboard,  sir,"  replied  Perth,  with  a 
malignant  glance  at  the  boatswain. 

"  He  threw  some  bits  of  paper  he  had  torn  up  into 
the  water,"  added  Peaks.  "  Whether  it  was  the  bank 
bills  or  not,  I  don't  know,  but  I  don't  think  it  was." 

"  Very  well,"  added  Mr.  Lowington,  who  never 
permitted  a  delinquent  pupil  to  see  that  he  was  dis 
turbed  and  annoyed,  even  if  he  was  so.  "  You  will 
bring  your  bag  on  deck,  and  go  on  board  of  the 
Josephine." 

"  I'm  ready,  sir,"  replied  Perth,  with  brazen  assur 
ance. 

"  As  your  conduct  is  hardly  becoming  an  officer  and 
a  gentleman,  you  will  clothe  yourself  in  a  seaman's 
dress,"  added  the  principal,  taking  the  shoulder-straps 
from  his  coat.  "  When  a  young  man  can  stand  up 
and  reel  off  a  string  of  lies  without  blushing,  he  is  not 
fit  to  associate  with  those  who  are  competent  to  be 
officers  of  this  ship." 

"  I  earned  my  rank,  sir,"  said  Perth,  who  had  an 


YOUNG  AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  195 

idea  that  he  should  sleep  in  the  cabin  of  the  Josephine 
during  his  intended  short  stay  on  board  of  her. 

"  And  forfeited  it  by  your  gross  misconduct.  You 
will  obey  the  orders  given  you,"  added  the  principal, 
as  he  turned  and  walked  away. 

Peaks  did  not  take  his  eye  off  the  offender,  but  at 
tended  him  to  the  cabin,  where  he  was  supplied  with 
a  seaman's  suit.  Perth  objected  to  changing  his  cloth 
ing  with  a  pertinacity  which  provoked  the  boatswain. 

"  If  you  say  you  won't  change  the  clothes,  I  will  re 
port  to  Mr.  Lowington,"  said  Peaks. 

"  Well,  I  won't." 

"All  right,  my  hearty  ;  "  and  the  old  sailor  left  the 
state-room. 

But  he  had  not  reached  the  deck  before  Perth 
hailed  him. 

"  I  will  put  them  on,  Mr.  Peaks.  I've  thought  bet 
ter  of  it,"  said  he,  throwing  off  his  frock  coat,  as  the 
boatswain  appeared  at  the  door  of  the  room. 

"All  the  better  for  you,  my  lad.  I  thought  you 
wanted  to  spend  a  week  or  two  in  the  brig,"  replied 
Peaks. 

"  I  think  it  is  a  hard  case,  after  a  fellow  has  earned 
his  rank,  to  take  it  from  him,"  muttered  Perth,  as  he 
proceeded  to  put  on  the  sailor's  suit. 

"An  officer  should  be  a  gentleman,"  growled  the 
old  sailor. 

But  the  boatswain  had  been  overreached,  after  all. 
The  four  five-pound  notes  had  been  sewed  into  the 
waistband  of  Perth's  trousers ;  and  this  was  the  par 
ticular  reason  why  he  objected  to  losing  his  rank,  if 
he  had  to  lose  his  pants  with  it.  Peaks  would  not 


196  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

take  his  eye  off  him  long  enough  to  allow  him  to  tear 
out  the  bills ;  but  when  the  boatswain  went  to  report 
to  the  principal,  the  opportunity  was  obtained,  and 
promptly  used.  The  money  was  saved,  and  he  yielded 
the  point.  He  was  conducted  to  the  deck,  and  when 
the  boats  brought  the  Josephines,  who  were  to  visit 
Germany,  to  the  ship,  the  runaways  were  sent  to  their 
new  quarters,  or  rather  their  old  ones,  for  they  had 
spent  three  weeks  in  her  before,  under  the  superin 
tendence  of  Mr.  Fluxion.  Before  supper  time  the 
change  was  effected.  Dr.  Carboy,  at  his  own  re 
quest,  —  for  he  preferred  the  trip  to  the  Mediterranean 
to  that  into  Germany,  —  was  transferred  to  the  consort 
for  the  cruise,  with  Peaks  and  Bitts. 

The  "happy  family"  were  now  united  on  board 
the  ship,  and  all  the  active  discordant  elements  of  the 
squadron  were  collected  in  the  consort.  With  only  a 
very  few  exceptions,  both  parties  were  satisfied  with 
the  arrangement.  The  runaways  perhaps  experi 
enced  a  feeling  of  relief  that  they  were  no  longer  in 
danger  of  being  watched  and  overheard  by  the 
"  lambs."  They  had  only  to  look  out  for  the  adult 
officers  now,  and  in  the  steerage  they  were  by  them 
selves. 

Yet  the  appearance  of  Peaks  on  board  of  the  con 
sort  with  his  bag  was  rather  ominous.  Bitts  was  not 
regarded  with  the  same  dread.  There  were  now  four 
adult  forward  officers  in  the  Josephine ;  but  the  old 
boatswain  was  the  only  one  who  inspired  any  special 
terror.  Little's  brilliant  scheme  to  enable  his  small 
party  to  escape  seemed  to  be  endangered  by  Peak's 
coming,  for  he  was  an  exceedingly  prompt,  decided 


YOUNG  AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  197 

and  vigilant  man.  The  four  old  sailors,  on  an  emer 
gency,  could  handle  the  Josephine  alone. 

"What  do  you  think  now?"  said  Herman,  when 
everything  on  board  the  consort  had  settled  down  into 
order  and  quiet. 

"  I  don't  like  to  see  old  Peaks  on  board,"  replied 
the  little  villain.  "  He  is  a  tough  customer,  and  may 
bother  us." 

"  That's  so." 

"  But  I  think  we  can  wax  him." 

"  I  hope  so.  We  have  Tom  Perth  now  to  help  us. 
We  must  take  him  into  our  squad,  and  then  we  shall 
just  make  up  a  crew  for  the  third  or  fourth  cutter." 

44 1  don't  like  too  many." 

4'  But  Perth  has  the  rocks  in  his  pocket  now  — 
twenty  pounds,  or  five  hundred  francs,"  suggested 
Herman. 

44  That's  an  inducement." 

4'  Certainly  it  is.  We  can  cut  for  Paris  the  moment 
we  get  on  shore." 

44  All  right.  We  will  try  it  on  about  to-morrow 
night.  But  don't  say  a  word  to  a  single  other  fellow. 
We  must  look  out  for  ourselves  this  time,  and  not  at 
tempt  to  carry  all  the  rest  of  the  fellows  on  our  backs," 
added  the  prudent*  Little. 

44  It  looks  mean  to  do  so." 

44  No,  it  don't.  I  have  told  them  all  to  look  out  for 
themselves." 

44  But  they  don't  even  know  how  the  thing  is  to  be 
managed." 

41  No ;  and  they  shall  not  know  it.  If  they  don't 
know  enough  to  go  ashore  when  the  vessel  is  adrift, 
let  them  stay  on  board." 


198  DOWN  THE   RHINE,    OR 

"  Well,  Perth  is  the  only  fellow  to  whom  I  men 
tioned  it." 

"  That's  all  right ;  but  don't  let  him  say  anything 
about  how  the  thing  is  to  be  done." 

"  He  don't  know.  I  only  told  him  we  had  a  plan 
which  could  not  possibly  fail." 

u  It  won't,  if  Peaks  don't  make  trouble.  We  must 
let  off  the  gun  when  he  is  not  on  deck,"  continued 
Little. 

"  We  shall  be  able  to  see,  after  to-night,  how  things 
are  to  be  done  on  board,  and  whether  any  of  the  men 
are  to  keep  watch,"  added  Herman.  "  We  needn't 
give  up  if  we  don't  happen  to  get  off  to-morrow  night, 
for  we  have  two  or  three  weeks  to  do  the  job  in." 

Little,  seated  out  on  the  bowsprit,  rehearsed  his  plan 
again,  and  went  into  all  the  minor  details.  They  were 
presently  joined  by  Perth,  and  the  whole  affair  was  ex 
plained  to  him.  He  approved  it,  and  made  a  number 
of  suggestions  in  regard  to  the  boats.  ' 

"  I  am  bound  to  go  this  time,"  said  Perth,  earnestly. 
"  I  don't  stay  another  week  in  the  Academy.  I  have 
had  my  shoulder-straps  stripped  off,  and  am  pointed 
at  by  the  lambs  as  an  example  of  a  naughty  boy.  I 
bluffed  them  all  on  board  the  ship,  but  with  me  the 
die  is  cast.  If  your  plan  don't  work,  I  shall  jump 
overboard,  and  swim  ashore.  I  have  been  degraded 
and  disgraced,  and  I  can't  possibly  stand  it  any 
longer." 

"  We  are  all  in  the  same  boat ;  and  if  we  can't  get 
off  any  other  way,  we  will  set  the  vessel  afire,  and 
swim  ashore  by  the  light  of  it,"  added  Little. 

"You  are  the  fellow  for  me!"  exclaimed  Perth. 


YOUNG  AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  199 

"  I  don't  want  any  milk  and  water  about  this  scrape.  If 
we  can't  make  it  go  in  one  way,  we  will  try  another." 

Peaks,  who  was  planking  the  deck,  extended  his 
walk  to  the  forecastle,  and  the  trio  discontinued  their 
conversation.  They  were  satisfied  that  setting  the 
vessel  adrift,  some  time  in  the  night,  would  accom 
plish  their  purpose,  and  they  were  willing  to  wait  till 
the  next  evening.  They  had  some  difficulty  in  escaping 
the  observation  of  their  companions  who  were  not  in 
the  secret ;  but  they  assured  them  something  would  be 
done  just  as  soon  as  Mr.  Fluxion  started  for  Italy,  which 
it  was  understood,  would  be  on  the  following  day. 

Berths  were  assigned  to  the  temporary  crew  of  the 
Josephine,  and  at  an  early  hour  they  turned  in.  None 
of  them  were  detailed  to  keep  the  anchor  watch  on 
deck ;  but  in  the  night  Little  crawled  out  of  his  berth, 
and  went  up  the  ladder.  All  was  still  on  deck,  and 
he  could  not  see  that  any  one  was  on  watch.  Seven 
bells  struck  on  board  a  man-of-war  at  anchor  near  the 
vessel.  It  was  half  past  eleven.  He  crept  stealthily  to 
the  forecastle,  where  he  found  Bitts,  who  was  asleep 
under  the  lee  of  the  capstan.  This  discovery  satisfied 
him  that  the  forward  officers  were  to  keep  the  anchor 
watch.  The  arrangement  was  not  favorable  to  the  carry 
ing  out  of  Little's  scheme  ;  but  if  the  man  on  deck  would 
only  sleep,  it  would  not  make  so  much  difference. 

Little  carefully  studied  the  situation,  which  sug 
gested  to  his  fertile  invention  half  a  dozen  expedients, 
in  case  he  failed  at  the  proper  time  to  unbit  the  cable. 
Four  of  them  could  jump  into  one  of  the  cutters,  lower 
the  boat  from  the  davit,  and  might  reach  the  shore 
before  a  single  man  could  call  assistance,  and  get 


200  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

another  boat  into  the  water.  One  of  them  could  pre 
tend  to  be  sick,  and,  sending  the  watchman  to  the 
cabin  to  procure  medicine,  escape  while  he  was  look 
ing  for  it.  And  so  the  little  schemer  went  on  till  he 
had  a  quiver  full  of  expedients,  any  one  of  which  prom 
ised  to  be  successful.  Having  satisfied  himself  that 
he  had  not  been  reckoning  too  fast,  he  went  below 
again,  and  turned  in. 

At  daylight  in  the  morning  all  hands  were  called 
on  board  of  the  Young  America.  An  early  break 
fast  was  taken,  and  a  steamer  came  alongside  to  con 
vey  the  happy  party  to  the  shore.  The  hands  on  board 
the  Josephine  were  turned  out  at  the  same  hour,  and 
they  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  members  of  the 
Order  of  the  Faithful  depart  on  their  pleasant  tour 
to  the  Rhine.  Breakfast  was  served  to  them  at  the 
usual  hour,  and  when  Herman  and  Little  went  on 
deck,  after  the  meal,  they  saw  a  man  in  a  canoe  com 
ing  alongside.  He  looked  like  a  pilot,  but  neither 
of  the  two  runaways  who  saw  him  suspected  that  he 
had  a  mission  on  board.  He  came  on  deck,  and  was 
duly  welcomed  by  Mr.  Fluxion. 

"  What  does  that  covey  want  here?"  said  Little. 

"  I  don't  know,"  replied  Herman. 

"  He  has  made  his  canoe  fast  astern,  as  though  he 
meant  to  stay  here  some  time." 

"  O,  he's  only  loafing,  and  wants  to  see  a  Yankee 
ship  and  a  Yankee  crew,"  laughed  Herman. 

Little  did  not  exactly  like  the  coming  of  the  pilot ; 
not  that  he  had  any  suspicion  of  the  actual  pro 
gramme,  but  he  was  afraid  the  vessel  might  be  moored 
in  some  less  convenient  place  for  the  escape  than  her 


YOUNG  AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  2OI 

present  berth.  As  the  runaways  finished  their  break 
fast,  they  came  on  deck,  and  some  of  them  recognized 
the  pilot  as  the  one  who  had  brought  the  Josephine 
into  port  the  day  before. 

"  All  hands,  on  deck,  ahoy  ! "  shouted  Peaks,  blow 
ing  a  pipe  more  shrill  than  had  ever  before  been  heard 
on  board  of  the  consort. 

All  hands  were  on  deck  already ;  but  the  call  pro 
duced  a  decided  sensation.  Something  was  to  be 
done,  and  all  hands  fell  to  discussing  probabilities 
with  a  zeal,  which  ought  to  have  brought  forth  correct 
conclusions.  The  general  opinion  seemed  to  be,  that 
nothing  more  than  a  sermon  was  coming  off,  though 
the  vice-principal  was  not  much  given  to  preach 
ing.  If  Mr.  Fluxion  was  going  to  Italy,  it  would  be 
necessary  for  him  formally  to  transfer  his  authority  to 
Professor  Carboy.  On  the  whole,  therefore,  the  pros 
pect  was  rather  pleasing  than  otherwise.  Herman, 
and  some  of  the  others  who  were  deeply  concerned 
in  coming  events,  advised  all  the  fellows  to  behave 
well,  and  take  the  preaching  kindly,  so  that  the  offi 
cers  need  not  "  smell  a  mice." 

"  All  hands,  up  anchor,  ahoy !  "  roared  old  Peaks, 
piping  a  blast  which  seemed  to  come  from  the  breath 
of  a  north-wester,  while  the  leading  spirits  were  coun 
selling  meekness  and  submission. 

"  What  does  that  mean  ?  "  demanded  the  astonished 
Perth. 

"  O,  nothing !  Only  we  are  going  to  have  another 
anchorage,"  replied  Herman. 

"  Lively,  my  hearties,"  said  the  boatswain,  as  he 
stepped  forward  into  the  waist.  "  Don't  you  hear  the 
pipe?" 


2O2  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

"  I  hear  it ;  but  we  haven't  been  stationed  in  this 
vessel,"  replied  Herman. 

"  That's  very  true,  my  lad  ;  for  once  you  speak  the 
truth." 

"  You  are  a  little  fast,  Peaks,"  said  the  vice-princi 
pal,  coming  up  from  the  cabin  with  a  paper  in  his 
hand.  "  Here  is  the  bill,  and  we  will  station  the  crew 
before  we  do  anything." 

Every  one  of  the  runaways  was  stationed  for  each 
of  the  various  evolutions  of  getting  under  way,  mak 
ing  and  taking  in  sail,  reefing  and  tacking.  They 
were  all  good  seamen,  and  it  was  not  necessary  to 
drill  them  in  their  duties.  The  boatswain  again  piped, 
"  All  hands,  up  anchor,  ahoy  !  " 

The  hands  took  their  stations  promptly  enough,  and 
when  the  anchor  was  hove  up  to  a  short  stay,  the  fore 
sail  and  mainsail  were  hoisted. 

"  Clear  away  the  jib  and  flying-jib ! "  shouted  Mr. 
Fluxion,  who  gave  all  the  orders  himself,  though  they 
were  repeated  by  Peaks  and  Cleats,  who  acted  as  first 
and  second  officers. 

"  All  ready  forward,  sir,"  reported  Cleats. 

"  Man  the  capstan  !     Stand  by  the  jib-halyards  !  " 

"  Anchor  a-weigh,  sir  !  "  said  Cleats,  who  was  doing 
duty  on  the  forecastle. 

"  Hoist  the  jib  !" 

"  Up  with  the  jib  !  "  repeated  Peaks. 

As  the  anchor  came  up  to  the  hawse-hole,  the  jib 
filled,  and  the  vessel  began  to  move. 

"  Cat  and  fish  the  anchor !  "  called  the  vice-princi 
pal  ;  and  his  order  was  passed  forward. 

"  Cat  and  fish  the  anchor !  "  exclaimed  Perth.    That 


YOUNG  AMERICA  IN  GERMANY.  203 

doesn't  look  as  though  we  were  going  to  another  an 
chorage." 

"  It's  all  right ;  we  can't  go  far,"  added  Herman. 

While  those  who  were  stationed  on  the  top-gallant 
forecastle  were  engaged  in  catting  and  fishing  the  an 
chor,  those  who  had  been  assigned  to  places  on  the 
topsail  and  top-gallant  yards  were  sent  aloft. 

"  Lay  aloft,  sail-loosers !  "  continued  Mr.  Fluxion, 
and  the  top-men  and  top-gallant-men  ran  up  the  rig 
ging  as  nimbly  as  though  they  had  perfectly  compre 
hended  the  purpose  of  the  officers.  "  Lay  out  and 
loose !  " 

"  All  ready ! "  shouted  Bitts,  who  had  gone  aloft 
with  the  top-men. 

"  Let  fall !  " 

"  Let  fall,"  passed  from  Peaks  to  Bitts,  and  from 
the  latter  to  the  top-men. 

"Man  the  topsail  and  top-gallant  sheets  and  hal 
yards.  Sheet  home,  and  hoist  away  !  " 

The  topsails  and  top-gallant  sails  were  speedily  set, 
the  braces  were  manned,  and  the  yards  trimmed. 
Gage  had  the  helm,  the  pilot  standing  near  him  to 
give  out  the  courses.  The  main  gaff-topsail  was  next 
set,  and  the  Josephine  was  then  under  full  sail.  With 
the  wind  fair,  and  everything  drawing,  she  flew 
through  the  Goulet  at  the  rate  of  ten  knots  an  hour. 
Peaks  was  as  busy  as  a  bee,  and  in  person  saw  that 
every  rope  was  properly  coiled  up  or  flemished,  that 
the  cable  was  in  order  to  run  out  when  needed,  and  in 
general,  that  everything  was  in  ship-shape  order. 

As  good  seamen,  the  young  gentlemen  understood 
that  these  careful  preparations  did  not  indicate  merely 


204  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

a  change  in  the  holding-ground  of  the  vessel.  Every 
thing  about  the  Josephine  seemed  to  be  shrouded  in 
profound  mystery.  Peaks  kept  all  hands  at  work  till 
the  strict  order  of  a  man-of-war  prevailed  in  every  part 
of  the  deck  and  rigging.  He  did  not  say  anything,  or 
do  anything,  which  afforded  the  slightest  hint  in  regard 
to  the  destination  of  the  consort.  Mr.  Fluxion  planked 
the  quarter-deck,  and  did  not  manifest  the  least  sign 
of  an  intention  to  go  to  Italy.  The  movement  was 
utterly  incomprehensible,  and  the  runaways  began  to 
look  very  anxious. 

After  passing  through  the  Goulet  into  the  open  sea, 
the  fore  and  main  sheets  were  manned,  the  yards 
braced  up,  and  the  course  changed  to  the  south-west. 
Off  the  Chaussee  de  Sein,  the  pilot  was  discharged, 
and  the  Josephine  sped  on  her  way,  with  a  fresh  breeze 
a  little  forward  of  the  beam.  Still  the  vice-principal 
planked  the  quarter-deck,  and  no  one  said  anything 
to  solve  the  mystery.  Peaks  had  caused  everything  to 
be  done  which  he  could  find  to  do,  and  all  hands  were 
u  sogering  "  about  the  deck. 

"  Mr.  Peaks,  pipe  down  the  port,  watch,"  said  Mr. 
Fluxion,  at  last,  as  though  every  word  cost  him  a 
month's  salary,  he  was  so  chary  of  them. 

The  acting  first  officer  obeyed  the  order,  and  the 
port  watch  were  dismissed  from  duty.  Like  old  sail 
ors,  they  went  below,  partly  from  the  force  of  habit, 
and  partly  to  discuss  the  unaccountable  movement  of 
the  vessel.  Perth  and  Herman  were  both  in  the  star 
board  watch  ;  but  Little  and  Ibbotson  put  their  heads 
together  as  soon  as  the.y  were  in  the  steerage. 

"  I  don't  understand  it,"  said  Ibbotson,  shaking  his 
head. 


YOUNG  AMERICA  IN  GERMANY.  205 

"  Nor  I  either ;  but  I  think  it  will  come  out  all 
right,"  replied  Little,  who  was  always  disposed  to  put 
the  best  face  upon  doubtful  indications. 

"  Do  you  suppose  we  are  homeward  bound  ?  " 

"Of  course  not.  Look  at  the  tell-tale.  We  are 
running  about  south-west  by  south." 

"  Perhaps  that's  the  course  on  the  great  circle." 

"  Nonsense  !  We  shall  fetch  up  on  the  coast  of  South 
America,  if  we  keep  this  course  long  enough." 

"  I  don't  know  about  the  course,  but  I  have  made 
up  my  mind  that  this  is  about  what  it  means.  I'll  bet 
all  the  bad  marks  I  shall  get  for  the  next  quarter,  that 
we  are  homeward  bound." 

"  No  such  thing." 

"  I  believe  it,"  persisted  Ibbotson.  "  Lowington  did 
not  know  what  to  do  with  us,  while  he  is  in  Germany, 
and  so  he  has  sent  us  home." 

"  South-west  by  west  won't  take  us  home.  Fluxion 
is  only  giving  us  an  airing  for  a  day  or  two,  just  to  see 
how  we  behave,  and  to  give  us  a  little  wholesome  dis 
cipline.  If  we  are  good,  he  will  return  to  port,  and 
start  for  Italy.  What  is  Dr.  Carboy  here  for,  if  we 
are  bound  home  ?  " 

"  What  is  he  here  for?  Because  Mr.  Stout  is  not 
here.  I  suppose  they  have  changed  places  for  a  few 
weeks.  The  ship  goes  home  next  month," 

"  Don't  you  cry !  In  a  day  or  two,  if  not  before 
night,  we  shall  be  back  again  in  the  harbor  of  Brest. 
I'm  willing  to  bet  all  my  bad  marks  against  all  yours, 
that  we  get  ashore  in  less  than  forty-eight  hours." 

"  That's  heavy  betting,  but  it  won't  settle  anything. 
There  is  Peaks ;  suppose  we  ask  him,"  suggested  Ib 
botson,  as  the  old  boatswain  came  down  the  ladder. 


206  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

"  You  can  call  up  spirits  from  the  vasty  deep,  but 
they  won't  come.  You  can  ask  him,  but  you  might 
as  well  put  the  question  to  the  anchor-stock." 

"Where  are  we  going,  Mr.  Peaks?"  asked  Ibbot- 
son,  as  gently  as  though  he  were  addressing  a  lady. 

"  Going  to  sea,"  replied  Peaks,  gruffly,  as  he  went 
on  his  way,  deigning  no  further  answer. 

"  No  use,"  said  Little.  "  If  we  only  wait,  we  shall 
know  in  a  day  or  two.  In  the  mean  time  we  must  be 
as  proper  as  the  parson's  lambs." 

Still  the  Josephine  sped  on  her  way,  and  no  one 
was  the  wiser. 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  207 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

FROM   STRASBURG    TO    CONSTANCE. 

THE  party  on  board  of  the  Young  America  were 
in  the  highest  spirits  on  the  morning  of  their 
departure.  All  of  them  had  now  been  decorated  with 
the  white  ribbon  of  the  Order  of  the  Faithful.  Even 
Raymond  and  Lindsley  were  entirely  satisfied  with 
the  good  faith  and  fairness  of  the  principal  —  better 
satisfied  than  they  were  with  their  own  conduct. 
What  had  before  been  regarded  as  defeat  was  now 
triumph,  for  a  failure  to  achieve  success  in  doing 
wrong  is  actually  victory,  especially  if  followed,  as 
in  this  instance,  by  real  regret,  genuine  penitence. 

Grace  Arbuckle,  perhaps  conscious  that  she  had 
exerted  a  salutary  influence  upon  the  students  through 
the  pleasantry  of  the  Order  of  the  Faithful,  was  as 
happy  as  the  young  gentlemen  themselves.  She  ap 
peared  on  deck  at  an  early  hour,  and  when  the  offi 
cers  and  seamen  presented  themselves,  in  their  best 
uniforms,  wearing  the  white  ribbon,  she  was  so  de 
lighted  she  could  not  help  laughing  heartily. 

"  Commodore  Kendall,  are  you  going  to  wear  that 
ribbon  to  Paris?'*  she  asked,  as  Paul  touched  his  cap 
to  her. 

"  Certainly  I  am.  I  should  as  soon  think  of  going 
without  my  coat  as  without  that,"  replied  he. 


2O8  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

"  But  how  absurd  ! " 

"Absurd?  Vous  ne  pouvez  pas  fair e  un  sifflet 
de  la  queue  cTun  cochon"  added  he.  very  seriously. 

"  C'est  T)rai;  but  what  has  that  to  do  with  the  rib 
bon?  Do  you  mean  to  call  that  a  pig's  tail?  " 

"  No  ;  on  the  contrary,  it  is  the  wing  of  an  angel  — 
it  was  bestowed  by  you.  I  only  mean  to  say  it  would 
be  quite  impossible  to  go  to  Germany  without  this  rib 
bon.  It  is  our  talisman  to  keep  us  faithful  to  duty ; 
and  I  am  afraid  we  should  get  into  mischief  if  we 
went  without  it.  Every  member  will  wear  his  decora 
tion.  But,  Miss  Arbuckle,  I  think  you  ought  to  wear 
the  white  ribbon  also." 

"  I !  " 

"  Certainly.  You  are  the  Grand  Protectress  of  the 
order.  Do  wear  it,  Miss  Arbuckle,  with  a  rosette,  to 
indicate  your  superior  rank.  It  would  please  all  the 
members  very  much." 

"  I  will,  if  you  desire  it,"  replied  Grace,  more  seri 
ously. 

"  We  all  desire  it." 

"  It  shall  be  done,  if  you  wish  it." 

«  Thanks." 

Grace  tripped  lightly  down  the  stairs  to  the  cabin, 
but  presently  returned,  wearing  the  white  ribbon,  sur 
mounted  by  a  very  tasty  rosette,  composed  of  white, 
blue,  and  yellow  ribbons,  to  denote  the  several  de 
grees  of  the  order.  Paul  was  in  raptures,  and  when 
the  ship's  company  saw  the  decoration  she  wore,  they 
saluted  her  with  three  rousing  cheers,  which  she  grace 
fully  acknowledged. 

"We  must  perpetuate  this  order,  Shuffles,"  said 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  209 

Paul,  as  they  stood  in  the  presence  of  the  Grand  Pro 
tectress. 

"  I  think  we  must,"  replied  the  captain. 
"We  will  organize  more  systematically  when  we 
have  time." 

"And  have  a  suitable  emblem  to  distinguish  the 
members." 

"  The  white  ribbon  must  not  be  discarded,"  pro 
tested  Paul,  glancing  at  Grace. 

"  Certainly  not ;  but  we  will  have  a  gold  anchor, 
say,  from  which  the  ribbon  shall  be  suspended,"  added 
Shuffles.  "  On  the  anchor  shall  be  engraved  the  sin 
gle  word  FAITHFUL." 

"  And  '  Vous  ne  pouvez  pas  faire]  &c.,"  laughed 
Paul.  "  I  think  we  must  ask  the  Grand  Protectress 
for  a  suitable-emblem." 

"  You  have  great  confidence  in  me,  and  I  will  give 
the  subject  faithful  consideration,"  said  Grace. 

"  Our  motto  is  an  excellent  one,  I  think,"  continued 
Paul.  "  To  us  it  will  always  mean  that  you  cannot 
redress  a  wrong  by  resorting  to  dishonorable  meas 
ures." 

The  conversation  was  interrupted  by  the  call  to 
breakfast.  Before  the  meal  was  finished,  the  steamer 
that  was  to  convey  the  party  on  shore  came  along 
side.  By  the  time  she  had  made  fast,  and  run  out  her 
planks,  the  boatswain  piped,  "  All  hands,  on  deck  with 
bags,  to  go  ashore."  The  stewards  conveyed  the  bag 
gage  of  the  Arbuckles  on  board,  and  the  ship's  com 
pany  marched  in  single  file  to  the  deck  of  the  steam 
er.  There  were  no  turbulent  spirits  among  them,  and 
everything  was  done  in  order.  In  due  time  the  party 


210  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

reached  the  railroad  station,  and  seated  themselves  in 
the  special  cars,  which  had  been  provided  for  their 
use. 

The  Arbuckles,  Dr.  Winstock,  Paul,  and  Shuffles 
occupied  one  compartment  of  a  carriage,  and,  as  usual, 
the  pleasant  and  well-informed  surgeon  of  the  ship, 
who  had  been  a  very  extensive  traveller,  was  a  living 
encyclopaedia  for  the  party.  The  course  of  the  train 
was  through  Brittany,  of  which  Dr.  Winstock  had 
much  to  say.  It  is  a  poor  country,  not  unlike  Scot 
land,  though  it  has  no  high  mountains.  The  lower 
order  of  the  people  wear  quaint  costumes,  and  have 
hardly  changed  their  manners  and  customs  for  three 
hundred  years. 

"  Do  you  see  that  building  in  the  churchyard?  "  said 
the  doctor,  as  he  pointed  out  the  window. 

"What  is  it  —  the  hearse-house?"  asked  Paul. 

"  No  ;  I  think  they  don't  use  hearses  much  here.  It 
is  a  bone-house." 

"  A  what !  "  exclaimed  Shuffles. 

"  A  bone-house,  or  rdiqziaire.  The  poor  people  in 
this  part  of  France  are  very  ignorant  and  superstitious. 
Requiescat  in  pace,  so  far  as  the  mortal  remains  of 
their  dead  are  concerned,  has  no  meaning  to  them, 
for  they  do  not  let  them  rest  quietly  in  their  graves,  as 
we  do.  After  the  bodies  of  the  deceased  have  gone 
to  decay,  the  skulls  and  bones  are  removed  from  the 
coffins,  and  placed  in  the  bone-house.  The  names,  or 
the  initials,  of  the  departed  are  painted  upon  the  fore 
head  of  the  skull." 

"  How  horrible  !  "  exclaimed  Grace. 

"  Doubtless  it  is  so  to  you  ;  but  to  these  people  it  is 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN    GERMANY.  211 

an  act  of  affectionate  remembrance,"  added  the  doc 
tor  ;  "  as  sacred  and  pious  as  any  tribute  we  render  to 
our  loved  and  lost  ones." 

Dr.  Winstock  continued  to  describe  the  various 
places  through  which  the  train  passed,  answering 
the  many  questions  proposed  by  his  interested  audi 
tors.  At  noon  they  arrived  at  Rennes,  where  the  ex 
cursionists  lunched,  and  some  of  them,  perhaps  at  the 
expense  of  the  inner  man,  were  enterprising  enough 
to  see  a  little  of  the  city,  which  contains  forty  thou 
sand  inhabitants,  and  was  the  ancient  capital  of  the 
dukedom  of  Brittany. 

"  This  is  Laval,"  said  the  doctor,  an  hour  and  a 
half  after  the  train  left  Rennes. 

"  See  there  !  "  exclaimed  Grace,  pointing  to  a  man 
clothed  in  goatskins,  the  hair  outside.  "  Is  that  Rob 
inson  Crusoe?" 

"  No  ;  that  is  the  fashion  for  the  peasants  in  this 
part  of  Brittany.  They  don't  depend  upon  Paris  for 
the  mode.  I  suppose  you  have  all  heard  of  the  Ven- 
dean  war." 

"  Yes,  sir.  The  people  of  La  Vendee  were  royal 
ists,  and  fought  against  the  republicans  as  long  as 
there  was  anything  left  of  them,"  replied  Paul. 

"  La  Vendee  lies  south  of  the  Loire ;  but  one  of 
their  greatest  battles  was  fought  near  Laval,  in  1793. 
They  conducted  themselves  with  fearful  desperation, 
and  after  the  republicans  had  sent  word,  as  the  battle 
waned,  to  the  Convention  at  Paris,  that  La  Vendee 
was  no  more,  the  wounded  leader  of  the  insurgents 
was  carried  through  their  ranks,  and  they  rallied, 
gaining  the  day  in  a  decisive  victory,  by  which  the 
government  troops  lost  twelve  thousand  men." 


212  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

Fifty-six  miles  farther  brought  the  excursionists  to 
Le  Mans,  where  the  Vendean  army  was  finally  de 
stroyed  by  the  forces  of  General  Marceau.  The  car 
nage  was  terrible,  and  extended  even  to  the  massacre 
of  many  of  the  wives  and  children  of  the  royalists. 
An  obelisk  to  the  memory  of  the  republican  general, 
who  was  born  at  Le  Mans,  informs  the  reader  that  he 
was  a  soldier  at  sixteen,  a  general  at  twenty-three,  and 
died  when  he  was  twenty-seven. 

At  Chartres,  forty-seven  miles  from  Paris,  the  train 
stopped  half  an  hour,  and  the  party  had  an  -opportu 
nity  to  see  the  cathedral,  the  most  magnificent  in 
France,  "  and  one  of  the  most  ancient.  It  is  four 
hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  long.  Henry 'IV.  was 
crowned  in  it  in  1594,  for  the  reason  that  Rheims, 
where  coronations  formerly  took  place,  was  in  pos 
session  of  the  Leaguers. 

At  seven  o'clock,  the  train  arrived  in  Paris,  and  the 
party  hastened  to  the  lodgings  which  had  been  en 
gaged  for  them.  In  the  evening  they  attended  the 
grand  opera,  at  the  invitation  of  Mr.  Arbuckle,  and 
the  next  morning  proceeded  to  Strasburg.  After  a 
short  delay,  the  party  continued  the  journey,  crossing 
the  Rhine  into  Germany,  and  halting  at  Offenburg,  a 
small  town,  where  hotel  accommodations  had  been 
bespoken.  After  supper,  the  excursionists  were  col 
lected  in  a  large  room,  and  Professor  Mapps  took  a 
position  in  front  of  them. 

"  Young  gentlemen,  where  are  we?  "  he  asked. 

"  In  Germany." 

"  Very  true,  but  rather  indefinite,"  added  the  pro 
fessor. 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN   GERMANY.  213 

"  In  Baden,"  said  Paul  Kendall,  who,  as  usual,  had 
taken  pains  to  study  up  the  situation. 

"In  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Baden." 

"  What  is  a  Grand  Duchy  ? "  inquired  one  of  the 
students,  who  was  doubtless  bothered,  as  others  have 
been,  by  the  varying  titles  of  the  German  states. 

"  It  is  a  territory  having  an  independent  local  govern 
ment.  There  is  no  reason  why  it  should  be  called  a 
Grand  Duchy,  unless  it  is  because  it  is  larger  than  a 
simple  Duchy,  though  this  rule  does  not  always  hold 
good,  for  the  Duchy  of  Brunswick  has  double  the  ter 
ritory  and  double  the  population  of  the  Grand  Duchy 
of  Mecklenburg-Strelitz.  The  titles  of  the  states  seem 
to  be  entirely  arbitrary,  and,  according  to  the  fancy  of 
their  rulers,  they  were  called  kingdoms,  principalities, 
electorates,  palatinates,  margraviates,  Grand  Duchies, 
or  Duchies.  The  Grand  Duchy  of  Baden  is  larger 
than  the  Kingdom  of  Saxony.  These  designations 
have  been  occasionally  changed,  as  the  states  in 
creased  in  size,  or  as  their  rulers  desired  a  grander 
title.  In  1803  Baden  was  a  margraviate  of  one  fourth 
its  present  extent.  Napoleon  gave  the  title  of  Elect 
or,  and  afterwards  of  Grand  Duke,  to  the  Margrave 
Charles  Frederick,  as  his  territory  was  increased. 

"  Baden  has  about  six  thousand  square  miles,  or  is 
about  equal  in  size  to  Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut 
united.  It  has  a  population  of  one  million  three  hun 
dred  thousand,  which  has  hardly  increased  during  the 
last  fifty  years,  for  the  reason  that  so  many  of  its  peo 
ple  have  emigrated  to  the  United  States.  The  coun 
try  is  mountainous,  and  contains  the  Schwarzwald. 
What  does  that  mean?" 


214  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

"  The  Black  Forest,"  replied  several. 

"  A  mountainous  region,  which  has  been  the  para 
dise  of  story-tellers.  The  highest  peak  is  the  Feld- 
berg,  forty-six  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high.  Its  princi 
pal  river  is  the  Rhine,  which  forms  its  western  and 
southern  boundary,  and  has  many  branches  in  this 
country.  The  Neckar  is  the  largest,  crossing  Baden 
in  the  north.  The  river  which  you  observed  in  this 
place  is  the  Kinzig.  The  Danube,  which  the  Ger 
mans  call  the  Donau,  rises  in  Baden.  In  the  south 
east  the  country  borders  on  Lake  Constance,  or,  in 
German,  Boden  See.  The  climate  is  salubrious,  but 
it  is  cold  in  the  mountains,  where  they  have  snow 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  year. 

"  Baden  is  divided  into  four  circles,  or  provinces, 
which  are  again  divided  into  bailiwicks,  or  counties, 
and  communes,  or  towns.  Two  thirds  of  the  people 
are  Roman  Catholics  ;  the  rest  are  Protestant,  with  a 
sprinkling  of  Jews,  who  are  found  in  all  parts  of  Ger 
many.  There  is  a  Catholic  university  at  Freiburg, 
and  a  Protestant  one  at  Heidelberg,  which  is  so  cele 
brated  that  it  has  not  a  few  American  students.  There 
are  two  thousand  common  schools,  and  several  estab 
lishments  of  higher  grade. 

"  The  government  is  an  hereditary  constitutional 
monarchy,  the  Grand  Duke  being  the  sovereign.  It 
has  a  legislative  body,  composed  of  two  chambers, 
the  upper  of  which  consists  of  the  nobility  and  mem 
bers  appointed  by  the  Grand  Duke,  and  the  lower  of 
sixty-eight  deputies,  chosen  indirectly  by  the  people. 
But  I  do  not  think  it  is  necessary  to  describe,  at  any 
great  length,  these  small  German  states,  and  I  give 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN   GERMANY.  215 

you  Baden  as  a  specimen  of  what  most  of  them 
are." 

The  next  morning  the  company  took  the'  train  for 
Freiburg,  and  in  a  couple  of  hours  reached  their  des 
tination,  where  they  immediately  divided  themselves 
into  small  parties,  in  order  to  see  the  cathedral,  or  min 
ster,  and  other  sights,  within  the  allotted  time.  Those 
who  travelled  in  the  same  compartment  of  the  rail 
way  carriage  usually  came  together  on  these  occa 
sions  for  the  same  reason  that  united  them  on  the 
road.  Paul  Kendall  zealously  placed  himself  at  the 
side  of  Grace,  though  she  was  as  impartial  as  a  just 
judge  between  him  and  the  captain  of  the  ship. 

The  minster  is  a  Gothic  church,  and  almost  the  only 
one  in  Germany  which  is  actually  finished.  It  was  com 
menced  in  the  twelfth  century,  and  one  of  the  princes 
of  Zahringen,  from  whom  the  present  Grand  Duke  is 
descended,  contributed  largely  to  the  vast  expense ; 
but  it  would  probably  have  been  unfinished,  like  many 
similar  grand  structures,  if  the  people  of  Freiburg  had 
not  taxed  themselves  to  the  utmost,  and  made  great 
sacrifices  to  insure  its  completion.  The  spire  is  of 
beautiful  fret-work,  nearly  four  hundred  feet  high. 
The  interior  is  grand,  and  something  about  it  gives  the 
beholder  a  peculiar  feeling  of  solemnity  —  perhaps  the 
thought  that  men  have  worshipped  there  for  six  hundred 
years.  It  contains  some  choice  paintings,  which  are 
carefully  cherished  as  the  productions  of  the  old  mas 
ters.  A  glance  at  the  university,  the  Kaufhaus,  the 
statue  of  Schwarz,  the  inventor  of  gunpowder,  and  a 
walk  around  the  Schlossberg,  or  Castle  Hill,  which 
commands  a  splendid  view  of  the  Black  Forest  Moun- 


210  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

tains,  exhausted  the  place,  and  at  the  time  appointed 
the  party  reassembled  at  the  railroad  station,  where 
Mr.  Arbuckle  had  gathered  together  half  a  dozen  dili 
gences,  in  which  the  company  were  to  proceed  to 
SchafThausen,  in  Switzerland.  He  knew  how  much 
interest  the  story-readers  feel  in  the  Black  Forest,  and 
as  the  party  had  already  visited  Basle,  he  proposed  to 
take  his  charge  across  the  country,  which  would  ena 
ble  them  to  see  some  of  the  finest  mountain  scenery 
in  Germany,  and  more  of  the  manners  and  customs 
of  the  people  than  could  be  observed  in  the  large 
towns  on  the  railroad.  He  had  already  sent  forward 
his  courier  to  make  preparations  for  the  accommoda 
tion  of  his  party. 

Two  days  were  to  be  occupied  in  reaching  the 
Rhine.  The  first  part  of  the  journey  was  over  a  level 
plain  highly  cultivated.  The  road  soon  begins  to 
ascend  ;  and  this  locality  is  called  ffimmelreich,  or 
Heaven,  to  distinguish  it  by  contrast  from  the  Hollen- 
thal,  or  Valley  of  Hell,  a  deep  and  romantic  gorge 
which  lies  beyond.  The  students  enjoyed  the  scenery, 
and  those  who  were  disposed,  walked  for  miles  up  the 
long  hills,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  the  driver.  The 
students  of  the  German  language  had  abundant  op 
portunities  to  practise  their  gutturals,  and  none  but 
sufferers  know  what  a  pleasure  it  is  to  have  a  genuine 
native  understand  their  sentences. 

The  pedestrians  made  brief  halts  at  the  water-mills, 
houses,  and  fields  on  the  way,  and  were  invariably 
treated  with  the  utmost  kindness  and  consideration. 
"  Bitte,  geben  sie  mir  ein  Glas  Wasser"  was  re 
peated  so  many  times  that  all  understood  it.  The  fact 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  217 

that  they  were  Americans  insured  them  a  warm  wel 
come,  and  many  an  inquiry  was  made  for  "  meinem 
So/in  in  Amerika."  The  "  walkists  "  enjoyed  this  in 
tercourse  with  the  people  so  much  that  they  walked  till 
they  were  unnecessarily  fatigued. 

"  Bitte,) geben  sie  mir  Geld"  said  a  German,  step 
ping  up  to  the  carriage  which  contained  Dr.  Win- 
stock,  and  those  who  were  so  careful  to  keep  near  him. 

He  was  a  young  man,  with  a  big  pipe  in  his  mouth, 
a  big  stick  in  his  hand,  and  a  big  knapsack  on  his 
ba^'k.  He  was  pretty  well  dressed,  and  was  in  com 
pany  with  three  others,  who  asked  for  money  in  like 
manner  of  different  persons  of  the  party.  The  doctor 
asked  him  a  few  questions,  and  then  gave  him  two  or 
three  kreutzers,  which  he  accepted  with  many  thanks. 

"  Those  are  very  respectable  beggars,"  said  Paul,  as 
the  man  left  the  diligence. 

"They  are  not  beggars,  but  handtverksburschen" 

"What  are  they?" 

"  Travelling  journeymen.  No  apprentice  can  ob 
tain  his  freedom,  and  be  competent  to  set  up  in 
business  for  himself,  till  he  has  spent  several  years  in 
travelling,  and  in  working  at  his  trade  in  foreign 
countries.  This  is  to  increase  his  knowledge  and  his 
skill,  and  you  will  see  hundreds  of  them  on  the  roads 
all  over  Germany.  They  become,  under  this  system, 
very  skilful  workmen,  for  they  learn  th'e  various  meth 
ods  of  work  in  different  countries.  They  often  under 
stood  two  or  three  languages  besides  their  own.  They 
keep  a  kind  of  diary  of  their  travels  in  a  book  furnished 
to  them  by  the  trade-society  to  which  they  belong,  in 
which  also  their  employers  write  testimonials  of  their 


2l8  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

good  conduct.  It  is  often  the  case  that  they  cannot 
obtain  work,  and  are  compelled  to  ask  charity  on  the 
roads.  It  is  a  hard  life  to  lead,  but  it  produces  skil 
ful  mechanics." 

"  What  was  that  man's  trade?  "  asked  Grace. 

"  He  is  a  baker." 

At  a  solitary  inn  in  Steig  the  party  found  a  dinner 
ready  for  them,  consisting  mainly  of  trout,  which  were 
very  nice.  From  this  point  the  road  went  up  a  steep 
hill,  which  required  an  extra  horse  to  each  diligence, 
though  most  of  the  boys  walked  up.  At  Neustadt,  a 
town  of  fifteen  hundred  inhabitants,  vast  numbers  of 
wooden  clocks  are  manufactured,  and  the  raising  of 
singing  birds  is  a  common  occupation.  Just  before  sun 
set  the  excursionists  arrived  at  Donaueschingen,  where 
they  were  to  spend  the  night.  The  place  contains 
about  three  thousand  inhabitants,  and  is  the  residence 
of  Prince  Furstenberg,  who  was  one  of  the  mediatized 
sovereigns  —  his  territory  having  by  treaty  been  as 
signed  to  Baden. 

A  walk  to  his  palace  was  immediately  taken  by 
the  tourists.  It  is  a  plain  modern  edifice,  with  an  ex 
tensive  garden,  which  the  travellers  were  permitted  to 
visit.  In  one  corner  a  circular  basin  was  pointed  out 
to  them  by  their  guide.  The  water,  clear  as  crystal, 
bubbled  up  from  a  spring  in  the  bottom,  and  was  con 
veyed  from  the  basin,  by  an  underground  tunnel,  into 
the  Briegach,  a  stream  which  flows  down  from  the 
mountains. 

"  This  spring  is  said  to  be  the  source  of  the  Dan 
ube,"  said  Dr.  Winstock.  "  From  this  point  the 
stream  takes  the  name  of  Danube,  though  that  into 
which  it  flows  comes  from  miles  away." 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMAISTY.  219 

"  '  Large  streams  from  little  fountains  flow,' "  replied 
Paul. 

"Yes ;  and  from  a  great  many  of  them,"  added  the 
surgeon.  "  The  country  in  this  vicinity  is  like  a 
sponge,  it  is  so  full  of  springs,  which  feed  the  great 
river.  The  Neckar  rises  a  few  miles  north  of  us. 
We  are,  therefore,  on  the  summit  of  the  water-shed 
of  Europe ;  for  of  two  drops  of  rain  which  fall  side 
by  side  near  us,  one  may  find  its  way  into  the  Dan 
ube,  and  be  carried  down  to  the  Black  Sea,  while  the 
other,  by  the  Neckar  and  the  Rhine,  may  reach  the 
North  Sea." 

The  students  wandered  about  the  town  till  it  was 
too  dark  to  see  anything,  and  most  of  them  were  tired 
enough  to  sleep,  even  under  the  feather  beds  which 
the  Germans  insist  upon  using  as  a  coverlet.  In  the 
morning  the  journey  was  renewed  in  the  diligences. 
The  scenery  was  still  very  fine,  and  from  the  top  of  a 
high  hill  called  the  Rande,  the  students  obtained  a 
splendid  view  of  the  mountains  of  Switzerland,  of 
the  broad  expanse  of  Lake  Constance,  and  the  towers 
of  the  city.  Descending  the  long  hill,  the  tourists  en 
tered  Switzerland,  and  at  five  o'clock  were  set  down 
at  the  Schweitzer  Hof  in  Schaff hausen,  near  the  falls. 

The  students  had  been  riding  so  long  that  they  were 
glad  to  be  at  liberty  again,  and  hastened  into  the  hotel 
gardens,  which  extend  down  to  the  river.  It  .Was  rather 
late  to  visit  the  falls,  and  the  company  were  piped  to 
gether  around  a  kind  of  kiosk,  in  which  Professor 
Mapps  presented  himself. 

"  Do  not  be  alarmed,  young  gentlemen,"  said  the 
instructor,  good-naturedly.  "  I  will  not  detain  you 


22O  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

long,  but  I  am  reminded  that  I  have  not  given  you  the 
Rhine  in  detail.  Here  on  its  banks,  and  in  sight  of 
its  grandest  cataract,  I  will  say  a  few  words  to  you 
about  it.  The  river  rises  in  two  small  lakes  in  the 
mountains  near  St.  Gothard,  seventy-five  hundred  feel 
above  the  sea.  It  descends  four  thousand  feet  in 
going  twelve  miles.  Fifty  miles  from  its  source,  al 
Reicherau,  it  is  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  wide,  and 
becomes  navigable  for  river  boats.  Its  volume  of 
waters  is  continually  increased  by  the  flow  from  its 
branches,  till  it  discharges  itself  into  Lake  Con 
stance,  which  may  be  regarded  as  a  widening  of  the 
river. 

"  The  lake  is  forty-four  miles  long  and  nine  miles 
wide.  Its  greatest  depth  is  nine  hundred  and  sixty- 
four  feet.  Its  waters  are  dark-green  in  color,  and  very 
clear.  Twenty-five  different  kinds  of  fish  are  men 
tioned  as  caught  in  the  lake.  It  is  navigated  by  steam 
ers,  eight  or  ten  of  which  ply  between  the  various 
ports,  and  carry  on  considerable  commerce.  It  is 
thirteen  hundred  and  forty-four  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  sea. 

"  The  Rhine  issues  from  the  lake  at  Constance,  and 
flowing  a  few  miles  westward,  again  expands  into  the 
Unter  See,  which  is  thirty  feet  lower  than  the  upper 
lake.  It  gradually  contracts  till  the  stream  is  aboui 
three  hundred  feet  wide  at  this  point.  Steamers  for 
merly  ran  from  Constance  to  Schaffhausen  ;  but  since 
the  completion  of  the  railroad  they  have  discontinued 
their  trips.  The  falls  which  you  see,  and  will  visii 
on  Monday  morning,  are  seventy  feet  high.  Below 
the  cataract  the  river  is  navigable  for  boats  with- 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  221 

out  obstacles  as  far  as  Laufenburg,  where  its  width  is 
reduced  to  fifty  feet,  and  its  waters  rush  down  a  series 
of  rapids.  Here  boats  ascend  and  descend  by  the  aid 
of  ropes,  after  their  cargoes  have  been  discharged.  At 
this  place  the  young  Lord  Montague,  the  last  male  of 
his  line,  was  drowned  while  his  boat  was  descending 
the  rapids  in  this  manner.  On  the  same  day  his  fam 
ily  mansion  in  England  was  destroyed  by  fire.  From 
this  point  to  Basle  the  fall  is  only  fifty  feet. 

"  From  Basle  to  Mayence,  a  distance  of  two  hun 
dred  miles,  the  Rhine  flows  in  a  northerly  direction. 
The  current  is  very  swift  as  far  as  Strasburg,  to  which 
place  it  is  navigable  for  vessels  of  one  hundred  tons, 
though  they  are  "  tracked  "  by  horses  on  the  upward 
passage.  The  bed  of  the  river  is  wide  in  this  part, 
and  contains  numerous  islands.  At  Mayence  the 
course  of  the  river  changes  to  west,  and  again  at 
Bingen  to  the  north-west,  where  the  mountains  again 
force  it  into  a  narrow  channel ;  and  for  fifty  miles 
the  stream  flows  through  a  beautiful  region,  where  the 
hills  extend  to  its  very  banks,  and  many  of  their  sum 
mits  are  crowned  with  old  castles.  Below  Cologne, 
the  Rhine  runs  through  a  low  and  flat  country.  The 
lower  part  of  the  river  I  have  already  described  in 
Holland." 

The  professor  finished  his  brief  lecture,  and  the 
party  spent  the  rest  of  the  day  in  wandering  about  the 
garden,  and  in  watching  the  flow  of  the  mighty  river, 
as  it  tumbled  over  the  precipice.  The  next  day  was 
Sunday,  and  the  excursionists  attended  church  at  the 
town  three  miles  distant.  On  Monday  morning  the 
tourists  crossed  the  bridge,  and  hastened  to  the  garden 


222  DOWN    THE   RHINE,    OR 

of  the  Castle  of  Lauffen,  where  were  platforms,  sta 
gings  and  kiosks,  for  the  convenience  of  visitors,  which 
afford  the  best  views  of  the  cataract.  One  of  these 
balconies  projects  out  over  the  fall,  and  the  party  gath 
ered  on  this,  and  beclouded  with  mist  and  spray,  gazed 
at  the  wild  rush  of  waters.  Two  rocks  on  the  preci 
pice  separate  the  cataract  into  three  divisions.  Below 
is  a  semi-circular  basin,  whose  waters  are  lashed  into 
a  heavy  sea  by  the  plunging  torrent  which  falls  into 
it.  Boats  ply  between  the  foot  of  the  rock  on  which 
the  Castle  of  Laufen  stands  and  a  square  tower  on  the 
opposite  shore.  These  light  craft  make  heavy  weather 
of  it,  but  with  ordinary  caution  they  are  safe  enough. 

There  was  nothing  else  to  see  at  Schaffhausen,  and 
the  excursionists  took  the  train  for  Constance.  The 
last  portion  of  the  trip  was  on  the  banks  of  the  Un- 
ter  See,  separated  from  the  main  body  of  the  lake  by 
a  peninsula.  The  ride  was  less  than  two  hours,  and 
the  party  reached  the  "  Goldener  Adler"  in  time  for 
dinner.  Most  of  the  Swiss  hotels  serve  two  or  three 
dinners,  table  d'hote,  every  day,  the  first  being  at 
one,  and  the  last  at  five  o'clock,  the  prices  of  which 
are  from  three  to  five  francs. 

"  Young  gentlemen,  in  what  country  is  Constance?" 
asked  Professor  Mapps,  when  the  party  had  assem 
bled  to  visit  the  objects  of  interest  in  the  town. 

"  In  Switzerland." 

"  No." 

"  We  certainly  crossed  the  Rhine  on  an  iron  bridge, 
when  we  came  into  the  place,"  replied  one  of  the  stu 
dents. 

"  That  is  very  true,  but  Constance  belongs  to  the 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN    GERMANY.  223 

Grand  Duchy  of  Baden.  It  was  formerly  a  free  city, 
but  was  annexed  to  Austria  in  1549,  and  ceded  to  Ba 
den  in  1805.  It  once  had  forty  thousand  inhabitants, 
but  now  has  only  eight  thousand.  It  is  a  very  old 
city,  as  you  may  judge  from  the  buildings  you  have  al 
ready  seen,  many  of  which  are  just  as  they  were  four 
hundred  years  ago.  "  The  town  is  of  great  historical 
interest." 

"What  was  the  Council  of  Constance,  sir?  "  asked 
one  of  the  students. 

"  I  will  tell  you  when  we  visit  the  Kaufhaus,"  re 
plied  the  professor. 

Attended  by  several  guides,  the  excursionists  walked 
to  the  minster,  a  Gothic  structure  founded  in  the 
eleventh  century,  but  rebuilt  in  the  sixteenth.  The 
guides  indicated  the  spot  where  Huss  stood  when  sen 
tenced  to  be  burned  to  death.  From  this  church  the 
party  went  to  the  Kaufhaus. 


224  DOWN   THE   RHINE,   OR 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  STORM  ON  LAKE  CONSTANCE. 

THE  Kaufhaus  is  situated  near  the  border  of  the 
lake.  It  was  built  for  a  warehouse  in  1388. 
The  party  were  conducted  immediately  to  a  large 
room  with  wooden  pillars. 

"  This  is  the  Kaufhaus,  and  this  apartment  is  the 
one  in  which  the  Council  of  Constance  held  its  ses 
sions,"  said  Mr.  Mapps. 

"  What's  a  Kaufhaus?"  asked  one  of  the  boys  who 
did  not  study  German. 

"  What  does  Kaufen  mean?" 

"  To  buy." 

"  Then  it  is  a  ^ary-house.  It  is  a  company's  hall,  like 
Goldsmiths'  Hall,  Fishmongers',  and  others  in  Lon 
don.  The  Council  of  Constance  assembled  in  1414,  and 
continued  its  sessions  for  three  years  and  a  half.  It 
was  called  to  regulate  the  affairs  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  especially  in  regard  to  the  schism  caused  by 
some  of  the  popes  taking  up  their  abode  in  Avig 
non,  France.  Gregory  XI.  went  from  the  residence 
of  his  immediate  predecessors  to  Rome  in  1377, 
where  he  died  the  next  year.  The  Romans  wanted  a 
native  of  their  own  city  to  be  pope.  An  Italian  — 
Urban  VI.  —  was  elected  by  the  cardinals  ;  but,  as  he 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  225 

was  not  a  Roman,  there  was  much  dissatisfaction. 
The  French  cardinals  protested  against  the  election, 
and  created  Robert  of  Geneva  pope,  under  the  titleof 
Clement  VII.,  who  established  himself  at  Avignon. 
Urban  had  three  successors,  the  last  of  whom  was 
Gregory  XII.  The  Avignon  pope  was  followed  by 
Benedict  XIII.,  who  maintained  his  claim  to  the  papal 
chair  till  his  death  in  1424. 

"  There  were  two  popes :  the  church  was  divided, 
and  in  doubt  as  to  which  was  the  rightful  successor  of 
St.  Peter.  Gregory  declared,  at  his  accession,  that 
he  would  resign  if  Benedict  at  Avignon  would  do  the 
same.  An  attempt  was  made  to  get  rid  of  both  of 
them,  so  that  they  could  agree  upon  a  third.  The 
Council  of  Pisa  deposed  both,  and  elected  Alexan 
der  V.  Benedict  refused  to  vacate  his  chair ;  and 
Gregory  retained  his  position  because  his  rival  re 
fused  to  compromise.  Instead  of  getting  rid  of  one, 
the  church  had  now  three  popes  who  claimed  the 
chair.  Alexander  died  in  1410 ;  and  his  successor, 
John  XXIII.,  called  the  Council  of  Constance.  It  was 
not  a  meeting  of  bishops  merely,  but  was  attended  by 
cardinals,  archbishops,  ambassadors  of  kings,  knights, 
and  delegates  from  universities.  John  presided  at  the 
first  session,  and  was  invited  to  resign  the  pontifical 
office.  He  promised  to  do  so  if  Gregory  and  Bene 
dict  would  do  the  same ;  but  the  next  night  he  fled 
secretly  to  Schaffhausen,  and  from  thence  to  Freiburg. 
After  much  trouble,  negotiations  were  opened  with 
him,  and  he  resigned  his  office.  He  was  afterwards 
thrown  into  prison  with  Huss.  Gregory  was  a  good 
man,  and  gave  the  council  no  trouble,  and  for  the 
15 


226  DOWN    THE   RHINE,    OR 

sake  of  peace  yielded  up  his  high  office.  But  Bene 
dict  was  obdurate  to  the  end,  claiming  to  be  pope, 
even  after  all  his  followers  had  forsaken  him.  The 
council  attempted  to  make  terms  with  him  ;  but  when 
he  refused  to  yield,  it  condemned  and  deposed  him, 
electing  Martin  V.  to  the  papal  chair. 

"  The  council  also  gave  its  attention  to  the  heresy 
of  Wycliffe,  whose  doctrines  it  condemned,  command 
ing  that  his  books  should  be  burned,  and  decreeing 
that  his  remains  should  be  disinterred  and  burned. 
Huss  was  condemned  to  the  stake ;  and  his  disciple, 
Jerome  of  Prague,  having  retracted  his  anti-Catholic 
doctrines,  and  then  relapsed,  shared  his  fate  a  year 
afterwards." 

In  the  hall  are  the  chairs  occupied,  at  the  sittings 
of  the  council,  by  the  Emperor  Sigismund  and  by  the 
pope ;  a  model  of  the  dungeon  in  which  Huss  was 
confined,  with  the  real  door  and  other  parts  which  had 
been  preserved,  and  the  car  on  which  the  reformer 
was  drawn  to  the  place  of  execution.  The  house  in 
which  he  lodged  is  pointed  out  in  one  of  the  streets. 
The  field  wherein  he  suffered,  with  the  spot  where 
the  stake  stood,  is  shown  to  those  who  are  curious 
enough  to  visit  it. 

The  students  examined  the  quaint  old  buildings  in 
the  town  with  much  interest.  In  the  middle  of  the  af 
ternoon,  they  embarked  in  the  steamer  for  Friedrichs- 
hafen.  The  weather  had  been  warm  and  oppres 
sive,  for  the  season,  for  the  last  two  days ;  and  there 
were  strong  indications  of  a  change.  A  barometer  at 
the  hotel  in  Constance  indicated  an  unusual  depres 
sion.  The  students  dreaded  a  storm  of  long  continu- 


YOUNG    AMKMJCA     IN"    (.KfSMANY.  22/ 

ance,  they  were  so  impatient  \<>  see  the  wonders  which 
were  yet  in  store  for  them  ;  and  the  idea  of  being  shut 
up  in  a  small  hotel,  for  two  or  three  (Jays,  was  not 
pleasant  in  the  anticipation,  whatever  it  might  prove 
to  be  in  reality. 

By  the  time  the  steamer  was  halfway  to  her  d 
nation,  the  wind  began  to  come  in  fitful  gusts,  increas 
ing  in  force,  till  the  captain  of  the  steamer  wore  a 
rather  anxious  expression  on  his  face.  The  young 
salts  laughed  at  the  idea  of  a  fiesh-water  tern, 
and  if  anybody  else  was  alarmed,  they  were  not. 
iearn'-r  began  to  tumble  about;  but  nothing  seri 
ous  occurred,  though  some  of  the  lady  passengers 
were  sea  sick.  Others,  who  had  never  seen  a  storm 
at  sea,  were  frightened,  and  screamed  every  time  the 
boat  gave  a  heavy  lurch. 

"  Do  you  think  there  is  any  danger,  Commodore 
Kendall,"  asked  Grace,  thrilled  by  the  cries  of  the 
females. 

"  I  don't  see  how  there  can  be.    If  this  boat  is 
for  anything,  she  ought  to  ride  out  one  of  these  fresh 
water  gales,"  replied  Paul. 

"  It  is  going  to  be  a  fearful  storm." 

"  I  should  think  it  would  be,  from  the  indications 
of  the  barometer." 

"  Do  you  see  that  boat,  Paul?"  said  Shuffles,  point 
ing  to  one  of  the  Swiss  small  craft,  which  was  labor 
ing  heavily  in  the  billows. 

"  She  is  making  bad  weather  of  it,"  added  Paul,  as 
he  examined  the  position  of  the  storm-tossed  craft. 

"  The  boatman  don't  seem  to  know  what  he  is 
about,"  continued  Shuffles,  who  had  for  some  time 


228  DOWN   THE   RHINE,   OR 

been  studying  the  movements  of  the  boat.  "  She 
lowered  her  sail  a  while  ago,  and  she  seems  to  be  roll 
ing  at  the  mercy  of  the  waves." 

The  steamer  was  headed  towards  her,  and  the  party 
on  board  of  her  soon  discovered  that  the  boatman  was 
trying  to  put  a  reef  in  his  sail.  Besides  himself,  the 
boat  contained  a  lady. 

"  I  suppose  that  is  a  Swiss  boatman,"  said  Shuffles. 
"  If  he  is,  he  knows  no  more  about  a  boat  than  a 
mountaineer  who  never  saw  one." 

"  That's  so,"  added  Paul,  anxiously. 

"  He  has  put  her  before  the  wind,  and  is  trying  to 
hoist  his  mainsail." 

A  fierce  gust  struck  the  canvas,  as  he  began  to  hoist 
it,  carrying  out  the  boom,  and  whirling  the  boat  up  into 
the  wind.  Certainly  the  person  on  board  of  her  had 
pluck  enough ;  for  he  stuck,  to  the  halyards,  though  he 
was  nearly  jerked  overboard  by  the  sudden  pitching 
and  rolling  of  the  craft.  Recovering  the  sheet  which 
had  run  out  into  the  water,  he  took  his  place  at  the 
helm.  He  flattened  down  the  sail,  when  the  flaw  had 
spent  its  force,  and  headed  his  boat  towards  Friedrichs- 
hafen.  The  next  gust  that  struck  the  sail  carried  her 
down  so  that  the  water  poured  in  over  her  lee  rail 
by  the  barrel.  The  lady  screamed  lustily ;  and  the 
tones  of  her  voice  indicated  that  she  did  not  belong  to 
the  Swiss  peasantry. 

"  Help  !  Help  !  "  she  shrieked  ;  and  her  voice 
thrilled  the  souls  of  all  on  board  the  steamer. 

"  Cannot  something  be  done?"  cried  Grace. 

"  I  don't  see  what  can  be  done,"  replied  Paul. 

"  The   boatman   is   a   fool ! "  said   Shuffles,  impa- 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN   GERMANY.  229 

tiently.  "Why  don't  he  let  out  his  sheet,  or  luff 
her  up?" 

"Can't  you  do  something?"  pleaded  Grace,  ear 
nestly,  as  she  clung  to  the  railing  over  the  cabin 
ladder. 

"  Help  !  Help ! "  shouted  the  boatman,  in  good 
English  ;  and  it  was  plain  that  he  was  not  a  Swiss. 

Indeed,  the  lady  and  gentleman  could  now  be  seen 
plainly  enough  to  ascertain  that  they  were  English  or 
American.  Both  of  them  were  well  dressed,  and 
both  were  quite  young. 

"  We  can  launch  the  steamer's  boat,  if  the  captain 
will  let  us,"  suggested  Paul. 

The  wind  threw  the  boat  round  at  this  moment,  and 
the  sail  shook  violently  in  the  blast.  Then  it  filled 
again,  and  drove  her  directly  into  the  path  of  the 
steamer,  which  was  now  close  aboard  of  her. 

"  Stop  her  !  Stop  her  !  "  shouted  several  persons, 
in  French  and  German. 

The  captain  gave  the  order  to  stop  the  engine ;  but 
it  was  doubtful  whether  it  was  given  in  season  to  save 
the  unfortunate  couple  in  the  boat.  Paul  and  Shuffles 
rushed  to  the  bow  of  the  steamer,  and  the  latter 
climbed  upon  the  rail  just  as  the  mast  of  the  boat 
swayed  over  against  the  stem.  He  seized  it,  and 
nimbly  slid  down  into  the  craft.  As  the  steamer  was 
running  nearly  against  the  wind,  her  headway  was 
easily  checked  by  a  turn  or  two  of  the  wheels  back 
ward  ;  though  the  boat  bumped  pretty  hard  against 
the  steamer  once  or  twice. 

Shuffles  evidently  believed  that  skilful  management 
alone  could  save  the  sail-boat,  and  the  lives  of  those 


230  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

who  were  in  her.  His  mission,  as  he  understood  it, 
was  to  supply  this  needed  skill.  The  steamer  had 
only  a  single  boat  on  deck,  which  was  so  dried  up  by 
the  sun,  that  none  of  the  salt-water  tars  believed  it 
would  float.  She  had  only  a  single  pair  of  oars,  and 
it  would  be  impossible  to  make  any  headway  against 
the  gale  in  it.  The  captain  declared  that  he  could 
only  save  the  imperilled  voyagers  by  running  along 
side  their  boat,  and  taking  them  out  of  it:  he  could 
do  nothing  by  sending  his  jolly-boat  after  them. 

By  excellent  good  fortune,  the  steamer  was  checked 
at  the  right  moment ;  though  Shuffles  supposed  the 
boat  would  be  stove,  and  he  only  got  into  her  for  the 
purpose  of  assisting  the  young  lady.  The  captain 
backed  his  vessel  so  that  she  left  the  craft  alone  again. 
But  the  bold  commander  of  the  Young  America  was 
not  dismayed  by  the  situation.  He  instantly  let  go 
the  halyards,  and  secured  the  sail  as  it  came  down. 
He  glanced  at  the  trembling  lady,  who  crouched  in 
the  stern  to  save  her  head  from  the  threshing  of  the 
boom.  Grasping"  one  of  the  oars,  he  pulled  the  boat 
around  till  she  lay  head  to  the  wind.  She  was  almost 
water-logged,  and  he  saw  that  it  was  necessary  to  re 
lieve  her  of  some  of  this  extra  weight  before  she  could 
be  manageable. 

"Won't  they  save  us?"  gasped  the  lady,  glancing 
at  the  steamer,  whieh  was  drifting  rapidly  away  from 
them. 

"  Don't  be  alarmed,  miss,"  said  Shuffles,  as  he  seized 
a  kind  of  tub  which  was  filled  with  fish-lines  and  other 
angling  gear. 

".What  shall  I  do?"  asked  the  young  man,  whose 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  231 

pluck  had  by  this  time  become  quite  exhausted  in  his 
vain  battle  with  the  elements. 

"  Can  you  pull  an  oar?"  demanded  Shuffles,  rather 
sharply,  of  the  clumsy  boatman. 

" 1  can." 

"  Take  this  one,  then,  and  keep  her  head  as  it  is 
now." 

The  young  man  took  the  oar,  and  pulled  as  he  was 
directed  ;  and  Shuffles  went  to  work  vigorously  with 
the  tub,  in  throwing  out  the  water.  He  labored  so 
diligently  and  effectually,  that  in  a  few  moments  he 
had  relieved  the  boat  of  the  great  burden  of  water 
within  her.  While  he  did  so,  he  gave  the  young  man 
such  directions  as  enabled  him  to  keep  the  craft  poised 
with  her  head  to  the  fierce  gusts  that  beat  upon  her. 
In  this  position  she  rose  and  fell  on  the  great  billows, 
and  shipped  very  little  water.  The  steamer  had  started 
her  wheels  again  ;  but  while  she  did  not  venture  very 
near  the  boat,  she  lay  by  to  render  assistance  if  the 
latter  were  swamped.  The  lady,  finding  that  the  frail 
craft,  under  her  present  management,  behaved  very 
well,  sorely  as  she  was  tried  by  the  tempest,  was  en 
couraged. 

"Can  I  do  anything?"  she  asked,  in  soft  notes, 
though  they  were  still  shaken  by  her  fears. 

"  No,  miss :  if  you  will  only  keep  perfectly  still,  I 
can  take  care  of  her." 

"  Here  is  a  basin,"  said  she,  holding  up  the  imple 
ment.  "  Shall  I  throw  the  water  out  of  her?" 

"  If  you  please,"  answered  Shuffles,  willing  to  en 
courage  her ;  for  even  the  belief  that  one  is  doing 
some  good,  in  an  emergency,  assists  in  quieting  one's 
fears. 


232  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

She  went  to  work  with  a  zeal  which  indicated  a 
strong  will,  and  if  she  did  not  accomplish  as  much  as 
she  wished  to  do,  it  was  only  because  the  uneasy  toss 
ing  of  the  boat  defeated  her  good  intentions. 

"  Steady ! "  said  Shuffles,  to  the  young  man  at  the 
oar.  "  You  heave  her  round  so  that  she  will  take  the 
wind  on  the  other  hand.  Now  pull  away  with  all 
your  might !  "  he  added,  as  the  boat  began  to  fall  off. 

"Are  we  going  to  stay  here  all  night?"  asked  the 
other,  who  was  nearly  exhausted  by  the  violence  of 
his  efforts  to  keep  her  head  up  to  the  blast. 

"  No,  no  ! "  replied  Shuffles,  impatiently,  as  he  put 
out  the  other  oar,  and  assisted  his  companion,  when  the 
boat  was  in  danger  of  catching  the  wind  on  her  beam. 
"  I  will  get  sail  on  her  in  a  few  moments." 

In  the  lull  of  the  blast,  the  young  commander  over 
hauled  the  sail,  and  corrected  the  non-nautical  reefing 
of  his  companion. 

"Now,  mind  your  eye  !"  shouted  Shuffles,  as  he 
grasped  the  halyards. 

"What  shall  I  do?" 

"  Pull  away  !  " 

"  I'm  losing  my  wind,"  gasped  the  sufferer,  who 
had  really  struggled  with  the  oar  till  his  exertions  and 
excitement  had  nearly  disabled  him. 

"  Pull  away  for  half  a  minute  more,"  replied  Shuf 
fles,  as  he  ran  up  the  main-sail,  which  beat  and  thrashed 
fearfully  in  the  gale. 

-  Having  secured  the  halyards,  the  new  skipper  sprang 
to  the  helm,  and  seized  the  main  sheet.  Placing  the 
lady  on  the  weather  side,  he  seated  himself  on  the 
rail,  with  the  sheet  in  his  right  hand,  and  the  tiller  in 
his  left. 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN   GERMANY.  233 

"  Now  let  her  go  it !  "  he  shouted  to  the  young  man. 
"  Jump  up  to  windward,  and  keep  your  weather  eye 
open  ! " 

The  weary  oarsman  was  glad  to  be  relieved  from 
his  exhausting  task,  and  promptly  obeyed  the  order. 
Shuffles  .had  put  two  reefs  in  the  sail ;  but  without  the 
most  skilful  handling,  the  boat  could  not  carry  even 
this  short. canvas  in  such  a  fierce  tempest.  It  was 
not  such  a  sea  as  rages  in  a  storm  upon  the  ocean,  but 
it  was  altogether  too  rough  for  any  ordinary  boat.  It 
was  not  a  long,  bounding,  rolling  billow,  but  a  short, 
angry  wave,  that  tried  the  timbers  of  the  Swiss  boat. 
As  soon  as  the  rower  ceased  his  occupation,  the  head 
of  the  craft  fell  off,  the  sail  filled,  and  she  careened 
down  to  the  gunwale. 

"We  shall  certainly  tip  over!"  gasped  the  lady, 
clinging  to  the  rail. 

"  Don't  be  afraid,  miss.  This  boat  behaves  very 
handsomely,  and  is  stiff  enough  to  weather  a  gale," 
added  Shuffles,  confidently,  as  the  little  vessel  leaped 
upon  one  of  the  snappy,  snarling  billows,  and  then 
plunged  down  into  the  trough  of  the  sea. 

"  I  never  was  terrified  in  a  boat  before,"  said  she, 
shaking  with  alarm. 

"  It  is  a  heavy  storm,  and  not  just  the  weather  for  a 
lady  to  be  out  in.  Don't  be  frightened,  miss.  The 
boat  is  doing  very  well  under  her  double  reefs,  and 
she  will  weather  it,  if  you  only  believe  in  her." 

There  came  another  tremendous  gust,  which  seemed 
to  strike  the  boat  like  a  blow  from  an  immense  sledge 
hammer  ;  and  she  bent  down  under  it  till  her  rail  was 
buried  in  the  foaming  waters.  Shuffles  "  touched 


234  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

her  up"  a  little,  and  let  out  the  sheet  till  the  sail  shook 
in  the  blast.  The  boat  righted,  and  for  a  moment  had 
a  partial  respite  from  the  savage  pounding  of  the  tem 
pest.  The  young  man,  who  clung  to  the  weather  rail 
with  a  tenacity  which  indicated  that  he  had  not  yet 
recovered  his  self-possession,  glanced  ahead,  and  then 
at  the  steamer,  whose  course  now  diverged  from  that 
of  the  sail-boat,  and  the  two  craft  were  increasing 
their  distance  from  each  other. 

"  We  wish  to  go  to  Friedrichshafen,"  said  he,  ap 
parently  troubled  by  the  discovery  he  had  made. 

"  So  do  I,"  replied  Shuffles,  quietly,  without  taking 
his  eye  from  the  sail. 

"  This  will  not  bring  us  there,"  added  the  ex- 
skipper. 

"  Any  port  in  a  storm,"  said  the  gallant  helmsman. 
"  If  I  let  the  boat  fall  off  enough  to  lay  a  course  for 
Friedrichshafen,  she  will  fill  in  the  twinkling  of  an 
eye." 

"  I  don't  see  why  she  should,"  added  the  young 
man,  evidently  not  satisfied  with  the  action  of  the 
new  skipper. 

"  I  think  you  ought  to  see  it,  after  you  have  half 
filled  the  boat  yourself  on  that  tack.  Don't  you  un 
derstand  that  it  would  throw  the  boat  into  the  trough 
of  the  sea,  and  make  her  roll  ?  Look  at  that  steamer. 
I  am  not  sure  that  she  will  not  be  obliged  to  throw 
her  head  up  into  it,  and  lay  too  for  a  while." 

"  Pray  do  just  as  you  think  best,  sir,"  interposed 
the  lady. 

"  That  is  what  I  intend  to  do,  miss.  Really  there 
is  only  one  thing  you  can  do  when  it  blows  like  this 
—  keep  her  head  up  to  it." 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  235 

Again  it  was  necessary  for  Shuffles  to  use  all  his 
skill  and  strength,  as  the  heavy  gusts  were  repeated, 
to  prevent  the  boat  from  filling.  Easing  off  the  sheet, 
and  crowding  her  up  into  the  wind,  the  boat  weath 
ered  another  shock,  and  then  had  another  brief  respite. 
The  spray  dashed  in  the  fierce  blast  like  hailstones 
into  the  face  and  eyes  of  the  intrepid  captain,  and  he 
was  nearly  blinded  by  the  charge.  His  hands  were 
full,  holding  the  tiller  and  the  sheet.  Securing  the 
latter  with  his  knee,  he  tried  to  take  his  handkerchief 
from  his  pocket,  to  wipe  the  water  from  his  eyes. 
But  a  jerk  of  the  boat  compelled  him  to  grasp  the 
helm  suddenly,  and  the  wind  carried  away  the  hand 
kerchief  like  a  feather. 

"  My  eyes  are  full  of  spray,"  said  he,  without  even 
glancing  at  the  flight  of  the  lost  article. 

"  You  have  lost  your  handkerchief,"  replied  the 
young  lady,  tenderly.  "  Pray  take  mine." 

"  I  am  obliged  to  use  both  hands.  May  I  trouble 
you  to  wipe  the  water  from  my  eyes?  I  can  hardly 
see,  I  am  so  blinded." 

The  young  lady  promptly  complied  with  the  request, 
and  holding  on  to  the  rail  with  her  left  hand,  she  wiped 
the  water  from  the  captain's  eyes. 

"  Thank  you,"  said  he,  greatly  relieved  by  the  act. 

"  Let  me  change  seats  with  you,  Feodora,"  inter 
posed  the  young  man.  "  Perhaps  I  may  be  able  to 
assist  in  working  the  boat." 

"  Sit  still !    Don't  move  !  "  shouted  Shuffles,  sternly. 

"  I  only  wish  to  help  you,"  replied  the  other. 

"  You  will  help  me  most  by  keepirig  entirely  still," 
answered  Shuffles,  as  another  fierce  blast  struck  the 


236  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

sail,  and  required  the  skipper's  whole  attention.  Again 
the  cutting  spray  blinded  him,  though,  as  any  other 
skilful  boatman  can,  he  was  able  to  comprehend  by 
the  feeling  the  motion  of  the  boat. 

"  Shall  I  wipe  your  eyes  again?"  asked  the  young 
lady. 

"If  you  please." 

Gently,  her  eyes  beaming  with  interest  and  sympa 
thy,  the  lady  wiped  the  drops  of  water  from  his  eyes. 
Though  her  companion  said  nothing,  he  did  not  seem 
to  regard  the  operation  with  much  favor.  Very  likely 
he  thought  it  was  quite  unnecessary  to  wipe  the  skip 
per's  eyes  at  every  fresh  gust.  Again  he  proposed  to 
change  places  with  her  ;  but  Shuffles  peremptorily  for 
bade  the  movement,  either  because  he  thought  the 
young  lady  could  wipe  his  eyes  better  than  the  young 
man,  or  because  he  was  afraid  some  accident  would 
happen  in  making  the  change. 

The  storm  rather  increased  than  diminished  in  vio 
lence,  and  for  an  hour  Shuffles  held  on  his  course. 
The  steamer  had  gone  into  Friedrichshafen,  though 
she  had  been  obliged,  in  some  of  the  fiercest  blasts,  to 
throw  her  head  up  into  the  wind,  and  hold  on  till 
its  fierceness  subsided  a  little.  After  every  gflst,  the 
young  lady  wiped  the  eyes  of  her  gallant  preserver, 
for  as  such  she  regarded  him  ;  and  such  he  doubtless 
was,  for  the  boat  would  have  gone  to  the  bottom  long 
before  without  his  skilful  assistance.  She  soon  learned 
to  perform  the  kindly  office  without  a  word,  though 
the  captain  did  not  fail  to  thank  her  every  time. 

The  boat  did  not  make  rapid  progress  ;  by  keeping 
her  close-hauled,  continually  easing  off  the  sheet,  and 


YOUNG    AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  237 

touching  her  up,  she  made  considerable  lee  way.  At 
the  end  of  two  hours,  and  when  it  was  beginning  to 
grow  dark,  Shuffles  found  himself  nearing  the  shore 
on  the  north  side  of  the  lake.  He  must  either  make 
a  harbor  or  go  about  on  the  other  tack.  It  was  im 
possible  to  land  on  the  exposed  shore,  against  which 
the  waves  were  beating  in  the  madness  of  their  fury. 
He  was  at  least  ten  miles  above  the  port  to  which  he 
and  his  passenger  wished  to  go.  Directly  ahead  of 
him  was  a  point  of  land,  which  projected  out  into  the 
lake.  Beyond  it  there  was  an  indentation  in  the  shore, 
within  which  he  might  possibly  find  a  partial  shelter 
from  the  fury  of  the  storm.  It  was  doubtful  whether 
he  could  weather  the  point ;  but  he  did  not  wish  to 
tack,  and  stand  farther  out  into  the  lake.  The  night 
was  coming  on,  and  all  his  skill  and  courage  could 
not  insure  the  safety  of  the  boat  in  the  darkness  and 
on  unknown  waters. 

Hauling  in  the  sheet  a  little,  he  braced  the  craft 
sharp  up,  and  struggled  with  the  elements  to  clear  the 
headland.  He  looked  anxiously  into  the  green  waters 
for  any  shoals  on  the  lee  bow.  Fortunately  there  was 
no  obstruction  in  his  path,  and  the  boat  weathered  the 
headland,  though  without  the  fraction  of  a  point  to 
spare.  Easing  off  the  sheet,  he  ran  the  boat  into  the 
bay,  and  in  a  few  moments  she  was  slightly  sheltered 
by  the  shore  to  the  eastward.  This  friendly  relief 
enabled  him  to  keep  her  away  a  little,  and  run  for 
the  head  of  the  bay,  where  he  perceived  an  opening, 
which  looked  like  the  mouth  of  a  river. 

No  longer  cramped  by  the  helm  and  the  sheet, 
the  boat  flew  on  her  course,  and  Shuffles  presently 


238  DOWN   THE    RHINE,   OR 

satisfied  himself  that  the  opening  he  saw  was  really 
the  mouth  of  a  stream.  He  realized  that  the  battle 
had  been  fought  and  won,  but  he  said  nothing  to  his 
fellow  voyagers,  who  were  silent  and  anxious.  On 
sped  the  boat,  and  as  the  waves  became  less  furious, 
he  gave  her  more  sheet,  and  she  darted  into  the  still 
waters  of  the  river,  which  was  not  more  than  a  hun 
dred  feet  wide,  and  with  banks  high  enough  to  afford 
perfect  protection  to  the  storm-shaken  craft.  As  she 
rushed  into  the  quiet  stream,  Shuffles  let  go  the  sheet, 
and  the  boat  gradually  lost  her  headway.  Putting  the 
helm  down,  he  ran  her  gently  upon  the  shore,  and  the 
grating  of  her  keel  upon  the  gravelly  bank  was  sweet 
music  to  the  ears  of  the  voyagers. 

"  You  are  all  right  now,"  said  Shuffles,  as  he  rose 
from  his  seat  in  the  stern  sheets. 

Almost  for  the  first  time  since  he  boarded  the  sail 
boat,  he  looked  into  the  face  of  the  young  lady.  Her 
clothing  was  thoroughly  drenched  by  the  spray,  and 
her  face  was  moist  as  though  she  were  a  mermaid 
just  emerged  from  the  depths  of  the  ocean.  But 
even  in  her  present  plight  Shuffles  saw  that  she  was  a 
very  pretty  girl.  She  was  shivering  with  cold,  and  it 
was  necessary  to  do  something  for  her  comfort. 

"  We  are  really  safe/'  replied  the  lady,  with  a  grate 
ful  smile.  "  We  owe  our  lives  to  you,  sir." 

"  We  are  exceedingly  grateful  to  you  for  your  ser 
vice,"  added  the  young  man. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  have  had  an  opportunity  to  serve 
you,"  replied  Shuffles,  addressing  his  words  to  the 
young  lady. 

"  I  shall  remember  you,  and  be  grateful  to  you  as 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  239 

long  as  I  live,"  continued  the  lady,  warmly,  as  she 
bestowed  upon  him  an  earnest  look,  which  a  skilful 
observer  would  have  interpreted  as  one  of  admiration. 

"  But  where  are  we?"  asked  the  young  man. 

"I  don't  know,  except  that  we  must  be  ten  or  a 
dozen  miles  to  the  eastward  of  Friedrichshafen,"  an 
swered  Shuffles. 

"  What  shall  we  do  ?  "  asked  his  male  companion. 

"  There  are  probably  houses  not  far  distant.  You 
had  better  go  on  shore,  and  when  you  see  one,  let  us 
know  it." 

"  Perhaps  you  would  prefer  to  go,"  suggested  the 
young  man,  glancing  at  the  lady. 

"  Having  worked  hard  in  the  boat,  I  prefer  to  rest  a 
little  while,"  replied  Shuffles. 

"  Go,  Sir  William,"  added  the  lady,  reproachfully. 

Sir  William  !  Captain  Shuffles  was  rather  taken 
aback  to  find  he  had  been  sending  a  young  baronet  to 
look  for  a  house ;  but  then  he  regarded  himself  as  the 
peer  of  any  baronet,  and  he  did  not  apologize. 

Sir  William  leaped  over  the  bow  of  the  boat  to  the 
shore,  and  climbed  up  the  bank.  He  cast  a  glance 
back  at  the  companions  of  his  voyage,  and  then  dis 
appeared. 

"  I  think  you  must  be  a  sailor,  sir,"  said  the  young 
lady,  when  her  friend  had  gone. 

"  I  am,  miss.  I  am  ;  at  least  I  ought  to  be,  since  I 
am  the  captain  of  a  ship." 

"  A  captain  —  and  so  young !  O,  I  know  what  you 
are  !  "  exclaimed  she.  "  You  belong  to  the  American 
Academy  Ship." 

"  I  do." 


240  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

"But  I  did  not  see  you  at  the  emperor's  ball  in 
Paris." 

"  No.     I  was  absent  on  duty." 

"  I  had  the  pleasure  of  dancing  with  a  captain  on 
that  occasion." 

"  I  was  appointed  on  the  first  of  this  month,"  ex 
plained  Shuffles. 

"  I  know  your  uniform  very  well ;  and  I  am  glad 
to  see  you.  I  am  sure  you  are  worthy  of  your  high 
position." 

"  Thank  you,  miss.     You  are  very  kind." 

"  I  should  have  been  at  the  bottom  of  Lake  Con 
stance  at  this  moment,  if  you  had  been  less  gallant  and 
skilful." 

"  Perhaps  not,"  replied  Shuffles,  wondering  all  the 
time  who  the  young  lady  was. 

The  hail  of'Sir  William  from  the  bank  above  inter 
rupted  the  conversation.  The  boat  had  grounded  a 
rod  from  the  bank  of  the  stream,  and  Shuffles  gallant 
ly  bore  the  fair  passenger  to  the  shore  in  his  arms. 
Assisting  her  up  the  bank,  the  party  soon  reached  a 
cottage  a  short  distance  from  the  mouth  of  the  river. 
The  young  nobleman  imperiously  ordered  great  fires 
and  refreshments.  He  spoke  German  fluently,  and 
his  commands  were  promptly  obeyed.  The  rain  now 
poured  down  in  floods,  and  the  party  congratulated 
themselves  upon  escaping  this  added  discomfort. 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN    GERMANY.  241 


CHAPTER  XV. 

LADY   FEODORA   AND   SIR   WILLIAM. 

HOUR  after  hour  the  storm-beaten  party  sat  before 
a  blazing  fire  in  the  cottage  of  the  German  peas 
ant.  Their  clothing  was  dry,  and  they  were  quite 
comfortable.  The  only  thing  that  disturbed  them  was 
the  anxiety  of  their  friends  at  Friedrichshafen.  Possibly 
something  else  disturbed  the  young  baronet,  for  the  la 
dy,  ingenuous  enough  to  talk  and  act  as  she  felt,  seemed 
to  be  delighted  with  her  gallant  preserver.  After  they 
entered  the  house,  Shuffles  heard  Sir  William  call  her 
Lady  Feodora.  She  also  belonged  to  the  nobility,  and 
he  soon  learned  that  she  was  the  youngest  daughter 
of  the  Earl  of  Blankville.  Sir  William's  father  was 
dead,  and  though  only  eighteen,  he  was  a  baronet. 
They  were  travelling  with  their  friends. 

Lady  Feodora  declared  that  she  adored  sailors,  and 
Sir  William  was  afraid  she  spoke  only  the  truth.  They 
had  been  affianced  by  their  parents  ;  but  the  young 
lady  did  not  seem  to  feel  a  very  deep  interest  in  the 
baronet ;  and  on  the  other  hand,  she  did  seem  to  feel 
a  deep  interest  in  the  commander  of  the  Young  Ameri 
ca.  His  courage,  skill,  and  energy  had  made  a  deep 
impression  upon  her;  and  the  signal  service  he  had 
rendered  called  forth  all  her  gratitude.  She  was  only 
16 


242  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

sixteen,  and  perhaps  had  not  judgment  enough  to  see 
that  it  was  perilous  to  cast  pleasant  glances  at  a  young 
American  tar,  and  might  disturb  the  calculations  of 
her  prudent  parents. 

The  wind  howled,  and  the  rain  poured  all  night 
long  ;  but  the  party  were  in  comfortable  circumstances. 
They  were  too  thankful  to  have  escaped  the  perils  of 
the  storm  to  complain  of  the  rudeness  of  their  quar 
ters.  It  was  not  possible  to  go  to  their  friends  either 
by  water  or  by  land,  till  the  tempest  had  abated,  and 
they  were  disposed  to  make  the  best  of  their  situa 
tion. 

"  I  was  not  aware  that  they  had  such  heavy  storms 
on  these  fresh-water  lakes,"  said  Shuffles,  after  they 
had  partaken  of  the  simple  fare  set  before  them  by 
their  host. 

"Nor  I,"  replied  Lady  Feodora.  "  If  I  had,  I 
should  not  have  gone  so  far  in  an  open  boat.  We 
went  across  the  lake  to  Romanshorn,  but  Sir  William 
said  he  knew  all  about  a  boat." 

"  So  I  do,  under  ordinary  circumstances,"  replied 
the  baronet,  rather  nettled  at  the  implied  censure. 

"  It  was  a  very  savage  storm,"  added  Shuffles. 

"  I  never  saw  anything  like  it,  even  in  the  Chan 
nel,"  said  Feodora.  "  But  you  seemed  to  handle  the 
boat  just  as  easily  as  though  the  wind  came  only  in 
zephyrs." 

She  bestowed  another  glance  of  admiration  upon  the 
modest  tar,  who  explained  that  he  had  always  been 
used  to  boats  from  his  childhood,  and  he  felt  more  at 
home  on  the  deck  of  a  ship  than  he  did  in  the  parlor 
of  his  father's  house.  They  talked  of  the  perils  of  the 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN    GERMANY.  243 

day  till  midnight.  A  bed  had  been  provided  for  the 
lady,  but  the  two  young  gentlemen  lay  on  the  floor 
before  the  fire.  In  the  morning  the  clouds  broke 
away,  and  the  sun  rose  bright  and  clear.  The  calm 
that  follows  the  storm  prevailed  upon  the  lake.  The 
party  ate  their  simple  breakfast,  and  Sir  William  paid 
liberally  for  their  accommodations  at  the  cottage. 

The  manner  of  reaching  Friedrichshafen  was 
thoroughly  discussed.  They  could  go  to  Lindau,  and 
take  the  steamer,  or  proceed  in  the  sail-boat.  Sir 
William  proposed  to  take  Feodora  with  him,  while 
Shuffles  sailed  the  boat  back  alone.  The  lady  pro 
tested.  She  was  not  afraid  to  sail  back  in  the  boat,  if 
the  captain  would  manage  it ;  and  this  arrangement 
was  finally  agreed  upon,  though  the  baronet  was  not 
at  all  pleased  with  it.  They  embarked,  and  a  little 
breeze  came  to  their  aid  ;  but  it  was  eleven  o'clock 
when  they  reached  their  destination. 

"  I  do  not  know  at  what  hotel  our  ship's  company 
is  stopping,"  said  Shuffles,  as  they  landed. 

uMy  friends  are  at  the  Deutschen  Haus ;  and  you 
must  come  there  with  us,"  replied  Lady  Feodora. 
"  My  father  and  mother  are  there,  and  they  will  be 
delighted  to  see  you." 

"  Perhaps  our  people  are  there."  added  Shuffles. 

They  walked  to  the  hotel  named,  and  found  that 
the  American  party  was  there.  As  they  approached 
the  house,  an  elderly  lady  and  gentleman  rushed  down 
from  the  veranda,  and  grasped  Feodora  in  their  arms 
at  the  same  moment.  They  were  her  parents,  and 
wept  tears  of  joy  over  her  safe  return. 

"  We  thought  you  were  lost,"  said  the  fond  mother. 


244  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

"  I  have  sent  boats  in  every  direction  to  look  for 
you,"  added  the  father.  "Mr.  Lowington,  the  principal 
of  the  Marine  Academy,  who  is  here  with  his  students, 
assured  me  you  were  safe." 

"  I  am  safe,  father,  thanks  to  Captain  Shuffles," 
replied  Feodora,  turning  to  the  young  commander. 

"  His  Lordship,  the  Earl  of  Blankville,"  interposed 
Sir  William,  introducing  the  hero  of  the  day. 

The  gentleman  grasped  the  hand  of  Shuffles,  and 
expressed  his  gratitude  in  the  warmest  terms. 

"  We  have  heard  part  of  the  story,  and  we  watched 
the  boat  till  it  disappeared  in  the  distance,"  added  his 
lordship.  "  It  was  a  terrible  hour  for  us  all." 

"  Worse  than  death,"  sighed  the  countess,  as  she 
pressed  her  daughter  to  her  heart  again. 

"  Mr.  Lowington  assured  us  that  the  young  man  who 
had  so  daringly  thrown  himself  into  the  boat  would 
certainly  take  her  to  the  shore.  But  we  could  only 
hope,  rather  than  believe." 

"  It  was  a  heavy  blow,"  said  Shuffles. 

"  It  was  fearful !  "  exclaimed  the  earl,  with  a  shud 
der,  as  he  thought  of  the  anxiety  and  terror  they  had 
endured.  "  I  owe  you  an  everlasting  debt  of  grati 
tude." 

"  I  only  did  what  the  occasion  seemed  to  require  of 
me,  and  I  am  as  thankful  as  any  one  can  be,  that  I 
succeeded  in  getting  the  boat  to  the  shore,"  answered 
Shuffles. 

"  It  was  remarkably  fortunate  that  you  were  at  hand, 
for  I  don't  believe  there  is  another  person  on  the  con 
tinent  of  Europe  who  could  have  managed  the  matter 
so  cleverly." 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN    GERMANY.  245 

"  Really,  I  think  your  lordship  over-estimates  my 
services." 

By  this  time  Mr.  Lowington  and  the  young  Ameri 
ca's  party  came  out  to  welcome  Shuffles.  They  aston 
ished  him  by  giving  three  rousing  cheers,  and  the  cap 
tain  was  again  on  the  top  of  the  wave  of  popularity. 
Mr.  Lowington  said  he  was  satisfied,  at  the  time  of  it, 
that  he  would  take  the  boat  to  the  shore,  and  save  both 
of  his  passengers,  so  great  was  his  confidence  in  Shuf 
fles.  The  earl  acknowledged  that  his  prediction  had 
been  fully  verified. 

"  You  had  a  rough  time.  Shuffles,"  said  the  prin 
cipal. 

"  Rather,  sir ; "  and  the  affair  was  discussed  at 
length. 

"  We  have  seen  the  town  ;  but  we  cannot  leave  by 
train  for  Ulm  till  two  this  afternoon.  If  there  is  any 
thing  here  you  wish  to  see,  you  must  improve  your 
time,"  added  Mr.  Lowington. 

"  What  is  there  to  be  seen?  " 

"  Nothing  but  the  Chateau  of  the  King  of  Wurtem- 
berg,  and  some  old  buildings.  But  Mr.  Mapps  is 
about  to  give  a  lecture,  from  which  you  shall  be  ex 
cused  if  you  desire  it." 

"  No,  sir ;  I  think  I  will  hear  the  lecture,"  replied 
the  captain,  as  he  followed  the  principal  into  the 
coffee-room,  where  all  the  students  had  collected. 

Lord  Blankville's  party  had  been  informed  of  the 
lecture,  and  desired  to  attend.  Shuffles  had  hardly 
seated  himself  when  they  entered  the  room.  Lady 
Feodora  had  hastily  made  her  toilet ;  but  she  looked 
like  a  queen,  and  the  captain  could  hardly  believe  she 


246  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

was  the  same  person.  Those  who  had  attended  the 
emperor's  ball  in  Paris  recognized  her,  and  paid  their 
respects.  Ben  Duncan  declared  she  was  as  "  stunning  " 
as  when  she  wore  her  white  ball-dress.  Shuffles  gave 
her  a  seat,  and  had  the  courage  to  take  one  by  her 
side,  before  Sir  William  could  secure  the  enviable 
position. 

"  Wurtemberg  is  a  kingdom  belonging  to  the  Ger 
manic  Confederation,"  the  professor  began.  "  It  has 
an  area  of  about  seventy-eight  hundred  square  miles, 
varying  but  a  few  miles  from  that  of  the  State  of  Mas 
sachusetts.  It  has  a  population  of  one  million  seven 
hundred  thousand,  which  during  the  last  ten  years  has 
diminished  on  account  of  the  large  emigration  to  the 
United  States.  The  government  is  an  hereditary 
monarchy,  and,  like  so  many  English  stock  compan 
ies,  'limited/  Freedom  of  person  and  property,  lib 
erty  of  speech,  and  liberty  of  conscience,  are  guaran 
teed  by  the  constitution ;  but  liberty  of  the  press,  like 
the  monarchy  and  the  stock  companies,  is  also  '  lim 
ited.'  The  legislature  is  composed  of  two  houses,  the 
higher  one  being  made  up  of  princes  and  nobles.  The. 
present  king  is  Charles  I.,  whose  wife  is  the  daughter 
of  Czar  Nicholas  I.  of  Russia.  The  royal  family  is 
quite  numerous  in  its  various  branches,  and  is  con 
nected  by  marriage  with  many  of  the  royal  houses  of 
Europe.  The  former  Diichy  of  Wurtemberg  was  made 
a  kingdom  in  1806,  by  Napoleon,  after  having  been 
enlarged  by  the  annexation  of  several  smaller  states. 
Stuttgart,  the  capital,  is  also  the  largest  town,  contain 
ing  a  population  of  fifty  thousand.  I  close  this  lec 
ture,  which  I  think  has  not  been  a  very  tedious  one, 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN   GERMANY.  247 

with  this  remarkable  fact:  In  1840  there  was  not  to 
be  found  an  individual  in  the  kingdom,  above  the  age 
of  ten  years,  who  could  not  read  and  write." 

"  Is  that  all?  "  asked  Lady  Feodora. 

"  That's  all  this  time  ;  but  sometimes  we  have  to 
take  it  for  a  couple  of  hours,"  laughed  Shuffles. 

"  I'm  sure  I  wish  he  had  said  more.  What  do  you 
do  now  ?  " 

"  We  go  to  Ulm  at  two  this  afternoon.  After  that 
w^  go  to  Stuttgart,  Carlsruhe,  Baden,  and  then  down 
the  Rhine." 

"  We  must  go  with  them,  pa,"  added  she,  turning 
to  the  earl. 

"  We  shall  be  ready  to  go  to  Ulm  this  afternoon  in 
the  same  train,"  replied  her  father. 

"  I  am  delighted  !  "  exclaimed  Feodora.  "  I  hope 
we  shall  go  with  you  down  the  Rhine." 

Sir  William,  for  some  reason  or  other,  did  not  hope 
so.  In  fact,  he  was  rather  dumpy  and  morose. 

"  Possibly  you  will,"  suggested  Shuffles. 

"  What  a  happy  life  you  must  lead,  captain ! " 

"  Perhaps  you  would  not  think  so,  if  you  were 
at  sea  with  us,  when  we  have  to  stand  watch  in  the 
night  and  the  storm,  whether  it  blows  high  or  blows 
low." 

"  But  you  are  the  captain." 

"  I  was  a  seaman.  It  is  nearly  an  hour  till  dinner 
time  ;  and  I  thihk  I  shall  take  a  run  down  to  the 
Chateau  of  the  king.  Of  course  you  have  been 
there,"  said  the  captain,  suggestively. 

"  I  have,  but  I  should  be  delighted  to  go  again." 

A  carriage  was  called  by  the  earl.      It  had  seats 


248  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

for  only  four,  and  Feodora's  father  and  mother  had 
decided  to  go.  So  had  Sir  William  ;  but  his  lordship 
hinted  that,  as  the  baronet  had  already  visited  the 
Chateau,  he  might  stay  at  the  hotel  and  play  with  her 
ladyship's  poodle  dog.  It  would  require  too  much 
space  to  narrate  all  that  was  said  and  done  on  this 
little  excursion ;  but  the  two  young  people  were 
very  much  pleased  with  the  Chateau,  after  and  very 
pleased  with  each  other,  probably  more  pleased  with 
each  other  than  with  the  Chateau,  though  the  latter 
was  a  very  beautiful  place,  as  it  ought  to  be  for  the 
summer  residence  of  a  king.  Captain  Shuffles  handed 
the  noble  young  lady  out  and  in  the  carriage,  handed 
her  up  various  steps,  into  various  grottos  ;  indeed,  he 
handed  her  up  and  down  everything  that  would  afford 
him  any  excuse  for  offering  his  assistance.  Lady  Feo- 
dora  certainly  appreciated  his  kindness,  and  rewarded 
him  with  many  a  smile. 

They  returned  to  the  hotel ;  and  though  the  noble 
party  were  in  the  habit  of  dining  at  the  aristocratic 
hour  of  six,  they  took  places  at  the  table  cPhote  with  the 
republicans.  The  party  hastened  to  the  railroad  sta* 
tion  after  dinner,  and  at  the  appointed  hour,  were  on 
their  way  to  Ulm.  The  compartment  in  which  Dr. 
Winstock,  Paul,  and  the  Arbuckles  rode,  contained 
one  less  than  usual,  for  Captain  Shuffles —  not  entirely 
to  the  satisfaction  of  Sir  William  —  occupied  a  place 
with  the  party  of  the  earl.  The  railway  carriages  in 
Germany  are  generally  built  with  a  first-class  com 
partment  at  one  end,  while  the  rest  of  the  space  is 
devoted  to  the  second-class  passengers.  The  former 
is  very  luxuriously  furnished,  the  seats  having  stuffed 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN    GERMANY.  249 

arms  and  backs,  with  a  table  between  the  two  rows  of 
seats,  while  the  latter  has  about  the  same  arrange 
ment  as  is  found  in  the  ordinary  cars  in  the  United 
States. 

"  We  have  lost  our  good  friend  Captain  Shuffles," 
said  Grace,  with  a  pleasant  smile. 

"  Perhaps  our  loss  is  his  gain,"  added  Paul. 

"  Lady  Feodora  is  very  pretty." 

"  Very ;  and  interesting,  too." 

"  I  really  pity  her  every  time  I  look  at  Sir  Wil 
liam." 

"  Why  ?  "   asked  Paul,  curiously. 

"  Because  she  is  doomed  by  her  parents  to  be  his 
wife ;  and  he  is  a  selfish,  supercilious  fellow,  if  he  is  a 
baronet." 

"  Her  parents  seem  to  be  very  fond  of  her,  and  I 
am  sure  they  will  not  sacrifice  her,  if  she  don't  like 
him." 

"  There  are  a  great  many  considerations  of  policy 
which  influence  these  great  families,"  replied  Grace. 
"  She  seems  to  like  the  captain  much  better  than  she 
likes  Sir  William." 

"  And  I  know  that  he  likes  her." 

"  Let  us  hope  for  the  best,"  said  Grace,  gayly,  as 
she  glanced  out  the  window  at  the  fine  mountain 
scenery. 

"How  far  is  it  to  Ulm,  Dr.  Winstock?"  asked 
Paul. 

"  Fourteen  miles,"  replied  the  surgeon,  with  a 
twinkle  of  the  eye  which  seemed  to  mean  some 
thing. 

"  Fourteen  miles  !  "  exclaimed  Paul,  glancing  at  his 


250  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

watch.  "  Why,  we  ought  to  be  nearly  there  by  this 
time,  then." 

"  The  German  trains  rarely  go  more  than  four  miles 
an  hour." 

"  Why,  that's  no  faster  than  a  smart  boy  can  walk." 

"  Rather,  I  think." 

"  You  are  joking,  doctor." 

"  I  never  was  more  serious  in  my  life.  This  train 
is  not  going  more  than  four  miles  an  hour." 

"  I  should  say  it  was  going  at  the  rate  of  twenty." 

"  I  am  afraid  you  have  not  read  your  guide-book 
since  you  came  into  Germany,"  laughed  the  doctor. 
"  Perhaps  it  has  not  occurred  to  you  that  a  German 
mile  is  equal  to  about  four  and  two  thirds  English 
miles." 

"  I  didn't  think  of  that." 

"  It  is  sixty-four  and  a  half  English  miles  from  the 
point  where  we  started  to  Ulm  ;  and  the  time  is  over 
three  hours.  We  shall  arrive  there  at  half  past  five," 
continued  Dr.  Winstock. 

"  I  thank  you  for  setting  me  right,"  replied  Paul. 
"  I  have  been  bothered  with  the  German  money." 

"  I  have  a  copy  of  the  last  issue  of  Harper's  Hand 
Book  for  Travellers,  which  I  obtained  in  Paris.  It  is 
a  capital  work  for  the  tourist,  for  it  does  not  compel 
him  to  carry  a  whole  library  of  guide-books,  and  is 
complete  enough  for  ordinary  purposes,"  said  Dr. 
Winstock,  taking  the  neat  little  volume  from  his  bag. 
"  In  connection  with  each  country,  you  will  find  the 
value  of  its  money  in  United  States  currency,  and  the 
names  and  value  of  the  several  coins  in  use.  In  the 
Prussian  states,  values  are  reckoned  in  thalers  and 


YOUNG    AMERICA    IN    GERMANY.  251 

silver  groschen.  A  thaler  is  about  seventy-three 
cents.  A  silver  groschen^  of  which  thirty  make  a 
thaler,  is  worth  two  and  two  fifths  cents." 

"What's  a  florin  ?" 

"A  florin  of  Baden,  Wurtemberg,  &c.,  is  forty  cents  ; 
but  a  florin  in  Austria  is  forty-nine  cents.  The  for 
mer  has  sixty  kreutzers,  of  two  thirds  of  a  cent  each, 
Jhe  latter  one  hundred,  of  about  half  a  cent  each.  In 
Prussian  Germany,  twelve  pfennings  make  a  silver 
groscheiz.  Five  pfennings,  therefore,  are  about  equal 
to  a  cent.  Of  course  these  values  vary  with  the  rates 
of  exchange,  and  even  in  the  different  countries  where 
the  currency  is  used." 

It  was  dark  when  the  train  arrived  at  Ulm,  though 
the  tourists  obtained  an  obscure  view  of  the  Danube, 
on  which  the  city  is  located.  After  supper,  Professor 
Mapps  gave  a  brief  account  of  the  place  to  the  stu 
dents.  It  is  a  fortress  and  frontier  city  of  Wiirtem 
berg,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Danube,  and  has  twenty- 
five  thousand  inhabitants.  It  is  largely  engaged  in 
linen  manufactures,  and  snails  are  fattened  in  the  sur 
rounding  region,  and  sent  into  Austria  and  other 
countries,  where  they  are  highly  esteemed  as  an  arti 
cle  of  food.  For  three  centuries  the  town  was  an 
imperial  free  city,  and  one  of  the  most  thriving  in 
Germany.  It  is  noted  in  modern  times  for  the  dis 
graceful  capitulation  of  General  Mack,  in  1805,  who 
surrendered  thirty  thousand  men  and  sixty  guns  to 
the  French. 

The  party  slept  at  the  Kronprinz  Hotel,  and  the  next 
day,  after  a  glance  at  the  minster,  —  which  is  ranked 
among  the  six  finest  Gothic  cathedrals  in  Germany, 


252  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

and  is  now  a  Protestant  church,  —  the  excursionists  re 
sumed  their  journey,  arriving  at  Stuttgart  in  two  hours 
and  a  half.  This  city  is  on  the  Neckar,  and  is  situated 
in  the  midst  of  a  beautiful  country,  the  slopes  of  whose 
hills  are  studded  with  vineyards.  The  party,  having 
no  time  to  spare,  immediately  devoted  themselves  to 
the  business  of  sight-seeing,  hastening  first  to  the  pal 
ace  of  the  king,  said  to  contain  as  many  rooms  as  there 
are  days  in  the  year,  though  our  arithmeticians  did  not 
count  them.  It  is  a  grand  edifice,  with  a  tremendous 
gilt  crown  over  the  chief  entrance,  so  that  strangers  in 
the  city  cannot  possibly  mistake  the  royal  character 
of  the  building. 

Only  a  few  of  the  numerous  apartments  were  vis 
ited,  which  contained  some  fine  pictures  by  German 
artists,  and  sculpture  by  Thorwaldsen.  The  palace 
may  be  said  to  be  in  both  town  and  country  ;  for  while 
the  front  opens  upon  the  grand  square  of  the  city,  the 
rear  faces  an  extensive  park,  which  reaches  far  out 
into  the  rural  region.  The  king's  stables,  containing 
the  finest  Arabian  horses  in  Germany,  .were  visited  by 
a  portion  of  the  party.  The  public  library  next  claimed 
attention.  Its  catalogue  of  three  hundred  thousand 
volumes  includes  over  three  thousand  manuscripts, 
half  of  which  are  very  rare  and  valuable.  The  col 
lection  of  Bibles,  amounting  to  eighty-five  hundred  in 
number,  and  in  sixty  different  languages,  is  doubtless 
the  most  extensive  in  the  world.  The  museums  of 
the  fine  arts  and  of  natural  history  used  up  the  rest 
of  the  day. 

The  next  place  to  be  visited  was  Carlsruhe,  the 
capital  of  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Baden.  It  was  only 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  253 

a  three  hours'  ride  from  Stuttgart,  and,  as  the  trains 
connected,  the  principal  decided  to  proceed  at  six 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  for  he  could  not  otherwise 
reach  his  destination  till  noon  the  next  day.  The 
earl's  party  had  taken  apartments  at  the  Hotel  Mar- 
quardt  for  the  night,  and  Shuffles  sent  word  to  them 
that  he  was  about  to  leave.  He  was  invited  to  the 
elegant  parlor  occupied  by  his  lordship,  where  he  pro 
ceeded  at  once  to  take  leave  of  Lady  Feodora. 

"  Probably  we  shall  never  meet  again,"  said  he. 
"If  we  —  " 

"  Pray,  don't  say  that,  Captain  Shuffles,"  interrupted 
she,  with  an  expression  even  more  sad  than  that  which 
the  young  captain  wore.  "  I  hope  we  may  meet  many 
times  yet." 

"  We  may,  but  it  is  not  probable  that  we  shall," 
added  Shuffles.  "  After  remaining  a  week  or  ten 
days  longer  in  Germany,  we  shall  go  to  Brest,  and 
from  there  sail  for  the  United  States." 

"  But  your  ship  crosses  the  ocean  again  next  spring, 
I  think  I  heard  the  principal  say,"  interposed  the  earl. 

"  Very  true  ;  but  I  may  not  come  in  her  —  I  don't 
know." 

"  I  will  not  believe  we  are  not  to  meet  again.  You 
must  come  to  England  and  visit  us  at  Blankville.  We 
shall  all  be  delighted  to  see  you." 

All  except  Sir  William. 

"  I  hope  I  shall  have  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you 
again.  If  I  do  not,  I  shall  remember  the  hours  I  have 
spent  with  you  as  the  pleasantest  of  my  life,"  continued 
Shuffles. 

"But  I  am  not  going  to  think  of  such  a  thing  as 


254  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

not  seeing  you  again,"  persisted  Lady  Feodora.  "  I 
shudder  every  time  I  recall  the  circumstances  under 
which  we  met.  But  for  your  daring  courage  and 
your  wonderful  skill,  both  Sir  William  and  myself 
would  have  been  drowned." 

The  young  baronet  looked  as  though  the  actual  sit 
uation  was  not  much  improvement  upon  the  possible 
one  suggested  by  his  affianced,  if  he  was  to  be  "  cut 
out"  in  this  extraordinary  manner. 

"You  over-estimate  the  value  of  my  services;  but 
however  you  regard  them,  I  shall  always  rejoice  that 
I  was  able  to  serve  you.  I  must  leave  now." 

"  But  we  shall  meet  again,  and  very  soon,  too,"  said 
Lady  Feodora,  as  she  extended  her  hand  to  the  young 
officer. 

The  other  members  of  the  party  each  in  turn  took 
him  by  the  hand.  The  earl  and  his  lady  manifested  a 
warm  interest  in  the  young  hero,  arid  seconded  the 
wish  of  their  daughter  that  they  might  meet  again. 

"I  am  really  sorry  you  are  going,"  said  Sir  Wil 
liam  ;  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  he  was  as  sincere  as  his 
friends.  "  Couldn't  you  contrive  it  some  way  so  as  to 
drop  in  upon  us  at  Blank ville?  It  would  really  be  a 
very  great  pleasure  —  it  would,  upon  my  honor." 

"  I  am  afraid  it  will  be  impossible,"  replied  Shuffles, 
as  he  bowed  himself  out  of  the  apartment. 

Perhaps  Sir  William  was  the  only  happy  person  in 
that  group,  for  there  was  no  doubt  that  he  was  glad  to 
get  rid  of  the  troublesome  hero. 

The  ship's  company  took  the  train  at  the  appointed 
time,  and  by  ten  o'clock  were  in  their  rooms  at  the 
Hotel  Erbprinz,  in  the  capital  of  the  Grand  Duchy  of 


YOUNG    AMERICA    IN    GERMANY.  255 

Baden.  As  soon  as  it  was  light  in  the  morning,  the 
students  were  scattered  through  the  streets  of  the  town, 
which,  like  those  of  Washington,  radiate  from  a  com 
mon  centre,  where  the  king's  palace  is  located.  The 
meals  of  the  party  at  the  hotels  were  usually  served 
separate  from  those  of  other  guests,  and  at  breakfast 
Professor  Mapps  had  an  opportunity  to  say  a  word 
about  the  city.  He  told  them,  what  many  of  them  had 
already  ascertained,  that  it  was  a  very  pretty,  but  very 
quiet  place.  It  is  of  modern  growth,  being  unable 
to  boast  of  much  more  than  a  century's  duration. 
Charles,  the  Margrave  of  Baden,  built  a  hunting-seat 
on  the  spot  in  1715,  which,  on  account  of  the  seclu 
sion  of  the  place,  he  called  "  Charles's  Rest."  In  the 
course  of  time,  his  retreat  was  invaded  by  others,  and 
a  city  grew  up  around  him,  which  was  called  Karls 
ruhe  —  the  German  for  the  name  the  Margrave  had 
given  his  hunting-seat. 

The  Schloss,  or  palace,  did  not  essentially  differ 
from  a  dozen  other  similar  structures  the  party  had 
seen.  In  fact,  palaces  and  cathedrals  were  getting 
rather  stale  with  them,  and  they  coveted  a  new  sensa 
tion,  which  they  were  likely  to  realize  at  their  next 
stopping-place.  Before  noon  the  tourists  reached  Ba 
den-Baden,  and  were  pleasantly  installed  at  the  Hotel 
de  1'Europe.  As  the  season  was  somewhat  advanced, 
there  was  plenty  of  room,  though  the  glories  of  the 
German  watering-place  were  not  seen  at  their  height. 

The  place  is  called  Baden-Baden  to  distinguish  it 
from  Baden  in  Austria  and  Baden  in  Switzerland. 
It  is  beautifully  located  in  a  lovely  valley  surrounded 
by  the  hills  of  the  Black  Forest.  Although  it  has  but 


256  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

seven  thousand  permanent  inhabitants,  not  less  than 
forty  thousand  visitors  have  made  their  abode  within 
its  precincts  in  a  single  season.  It  is  the  most  fash 
ionable,  and  at  the  same  time  the  most  attractive,  of 
the  German  watering-places.  The  nobility  and  gen 
try,  as  well  as  the  blacklegs  and  swindlers  of  all  the 
nations  of  Europe,  gather  there.  The  country  around 
the  town  is  romantic  and  pleasing,  and  with  good 
roads  through  the  forests  and  up  the  hills,  there  is  a 
great  variety  of  delightful  walks  and  drives.  Every 
thing  which  nature  and  art  could  do  to  make  the  place 
and  its  surroundings  an  attractive  abode,  has  been 
done. 

On  the  rocky  hills  above  the  town  are  the  old  and 
the  new  castles  of  the  Grand  Duke  of  Baden.  The 
former  is  of  Roman  origin,  and  was  occupied  by  the 
reigning  dukes  in  the  middle  ages.  The  latter  is  the 
summer  residence  of  the  present  sovereign.  At  the 
foot  of  the  rocks  on  which  the  modern  structure  is 
located  are  the  hot  springs,  thirteen  in  number,  to 
which  the  town  owes  its  origin  as  a  health-giving 
abode.  This  part  of  the  place  is  called  "  Hell "  on 
account  of  the  heat  of  the  springs,  which  does  not 
permit  the  snow,  even  in  the  coldest  weather,  to  re 
main  upon  it.  The  hottest  of  these  springs  has  a  tem 
perature  of  54°  Reaumur,  equal  to  153^°  Fahrenheit. 
Their  water  is  led  by  pipes  to  the  "  Trinkhalle  "  and 
baths  in  the  village,  the  passage  having  but  little  effect 
upon  its  temperature.  A  kind  of  temple  is  built 
over  the  principal  spring,  which  furnishes  the  hottest 
and  most  copious  supply  of  water.  There  is  sufficient 
evidence  that  the  Romans  used  these  fountains  for 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  257 

vapor  baths,  and  other  medicinal  purposes.  The 
water  is  perfectly  clear,  has  a  saltish  taste,  and  at  the 
spring  is  not  unlike  weak  broth,  though  it  has  a  disa 
greeable  odor.  It  is  beneficial  for  dyspepsia,  gout, 
rheumatism,  and  scrofulous  diseases. 

After  dinner  the  tourists  commenced  their  explora 
tions  by  a  visit  to  das  neue  Trinkhalle,  or  the  New 
Pump  Room,  opposite  the  hotel.  The  spring  waters 
are  conveyed  to  it  in  pipes,  and  in  the  season  the 
place  is  crowded  with  visitors,  who  drink  them  in  the 
morning. 

The  Conversationshaus  is  the  grand  centre  of  attrac 
tion.  It  is  a  magnificent  building,  surrounded  by 
splendid  gardens.  In  front  of  it  is  a  Chinese  pagoda, 
intended  as  a  music  stand  for  the  band,  which  plays 
there  twice  a  day.  It  contains  a  large  assembly-room, 
where  the  company  dance  at  times,  a  restaurant,  a 
theatre,  and  other  apartments.  There  are  also  rooms 
for  gambling,  which  is  the  staple  amusement,  not  only 
for  the  blacklegs  and  swindlers,  who  resort  to  the 
establishment,  but  for  the  noblility  and  gentry.  The 
Conversationshaus  is  rented  by  the  government  to  a 
company,  who  pay  fifty-five  thousand  dollars  a  year 
for  the  monopoly  of  the  gaming  tables,  and  pledge 
themselves  to  spend  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  an 
nually  upon  the  walks  and  buildings.  Of  course  play 
ers  must  lose  vast  sums  of  money  to  enable  the  keep 
ers  of  the  establishment  to  pay  these  large  prices.  All 
classes  of  people  gamble,  and  about  one  fourth  of 
those  who  engage  in  the  seductive  play  are  ladies  — 
or  rather  women,  though  they  include  not  a  few  of  the 
nobility. 

'7 


258  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

Balls,  concerts,  promenades,  and  the  theatre,  as 
well  as  the  exciting  amusement  of  the  gaming  tables, 
keep  the  visitors  well  employed  during  the  season  ;  and 
when  they  weary  of  the  din  of  gayety,  a  walk  of  five 
minutes  will  lead  them  to  the  solitudes  of  the  forests 
and  the  mountains.  There  is  a  library  and  reading- 
room  in  operation,  in  the  midst  of  the  scene  of  the 
revelry.  The  students  spent  the  afternoon  in  wander 
ing  through  these  brilliant  halls ;  and  some  of  them 
observed,  with  a  feeling  akin  to  terror,  the  operations 
of  rouge-et-noir  and  roulette.  No  one  spoke  at  the 
tables,  and  no  one  but  players  were  allowed  to  be 
seated.  If  any  of  the  boys,  after  the  exciting  sport  had 
become  familiar  to  them,  were  tempted  to  try  their 
hand,  they  had  not  money  enough  to  make  it  an  object, 
which  proved  the  wisdom  of  the  principal's  policy  in 
managing  their  finances  for  them. 

The  next  forenoon  was  devoted  to  a  visit  to  the  two 
castles  above  the  town.  Only  the  ancient  one  has  any 
special  interest,  and  this  is  noted  for  the  curious  dun 
geons  in  the  rock  beneath  it.  The  castellan,  or  keeper, 
conducted  the  party  down  a  winding  staircase,  to  an 
ancient  Roman  bath,  by  a  passage  made  in  modern 
times ;  for  originally  the  only  access  to  the  dungeons 
was  by  a  perpendicular , shaft  in  the  centre  of  the 
castle,  which  is  still  in  existence.  Tradition  declares 
that  the  prisoners,  blindfolded,  and  lashed  to  an  arm 
chair,  were  lowered  through  this  shaft  to  the  gloomy 
vaults  hewn  out  of  the  solid  rock.  The  dark  and  mys 
terious  dungeons  were  closed  by  a  stone  slab,  revolving 
on  a  pivot,  and  weighing  from  half  a  ton  to  a  ton.  One 
room,  larger  than  the  others,  was  the  rack-chamber, 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  259 

which  contained  the  instrument  of  torture ;  and  in  the 
wall  several  iron  rings  still  remain. 

In  a  passage-way  there  is  a  deep  aperture,  now 
boarded  over,  but  formerly  covered  by  a  trap-door. 
The  victim  doomed  to  the  rack  was  led  to  the  pas 
sage,  at  the  end  of  which  was  an  image  of  the  Virgin, 
which  he  was  required  to  kiss.  In  approaching  it,  he 
stepped  upon  the  trap,  and  was  precipitated  into  the 
depths  below  upon  a  wheel  armed  with  knives,  upon 
which  he  was  torn  in  pieces.  The  story  is,  that  this 
horrible  pit  was  discovered  in  searching  for  a  little 
dog  which  had  fallen  through  the  planking,  when  the 
wheel  was  found,  with  its  knives  rusty,  the  fragments 
of  bones  and  garments  still  clinging  to  them.  But 
people  who  go  to  see  sights  ought  not  to  be  disap 
pointed —  and  some  allowance  should  be  made  before 
accepting  all  the  stories  of  guides  and  keepers  of 
mysterious  dungeons.  Doubtless  these  subterranean 
apartments  were  the  meeting-places  of  some  secret 
tribunals,  such  as  the  Vehmic  courts,  which  existed 
in  the  middle  ages  in  Westphalia.  Scott  and  Gothe 
have  made  use  of  these  dungeons  in  their  works,  and 
our  students  regarded  them  as  a  splendid  field  for  the 
later  writers  of  sensational  fiction. 

The  party  walked  through  the  upper  portion  of  the 
castle,  and  obtained  a  fine  view  of  the  surrounding 
country  from  its  openings.  The  rest  of  the  day  was 
spent  in  the  gardens,  assembly-rooms,  and  other  places 
of  interest.  In  the  first  train,  the  next  morning,  the 
excursionists  went  to  Heidelberg,  fifty-eight  miles 
distant. 


260  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

UP    THE    MEDITERRANEAN. 

THE  Josephine  still  sped  on  her  course,  south 
west  by  west ;  and  still  the  mystery  of  her 
destination  remained  unsolved.  Little  was  hopeful, 
while  Ibbotson  was  despondent.  Mr.  Fluxion  planked 
the  quarter-deck  as  industriously  as  though  he  were 
walking  on  a  wager,  or  had  the  dyspepsia,  which 
could  only  be  cured  by  plenty  of  exercise. 

"What  do  you  suppose  this,  means?"  said  Perth, 
when  the  port  watch  had  gone  below. 

"  I  don't  know :  it's  a  poser  to  me,"  replied  Her 
man,  as  he  seated  himself  under  the  shelter  of  the 
top-gallant  forecastle.  "  But  I  can't  think  it  is  any 
thing  more  than  a  short  cruise  for  the  sake  of  the  dis 
cipline." 

"  It  can't  be  a  long  cruise,  for  no  provisions  and 
water  were  taken  in,"  added  Perth.  "  I  think,  if  we 
behave  first  rate,  we  shall  return  to  Brest  in  a  day  or 
two." 

"  We  will  be  as  proper  as  the  lambs  themselves." 

"  How  is  it  about  Fluxion's  going  to  Italy?  "  asked 
Perth. 

"  I  know  only  what  the  fellows  say.  Everybody 
believes  that  he  has  to  go  there  to  see  some  friend  who 
is  sick." 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN    GERMANY.  261 

"Where  are  we  going,  Mr.  Briskett?"  inquired 
Perth,  as  the  head  steward  came  forward  to  take  a 
look  ahead. 

"  Going  to  sea,"  replied  he. 

"Where  are  we  bound?" 

"  Bound  to  sea." 

"  But  how  long  are  we  to  be  out?"  persisted  Perth. 

"Well,  I  don't  know  ;  but  I  am  fully  of  the  opinion 
that  we  shall  be  out  till  we  go  into  port  again." 

u  Won't  you  tell  us,  Mr.  Briskett?"  interposed  Hei% 
man. 

"Tell  you  what?" 

"  Where  the  vessel  is  going." 

"  Going  to  sea,"  answered  the  head  steward,  good- 
naturedly  ;  for  he  rather  enjoyed  the  perplexity  of  the 
crew. 

"  Is  there  any  secret  about  the  ship's  destination?  " 

"  You  must  ask  Mr.  Fluxion.  He  is  on  the  quarter 
deck,  and  I  dare  say  he  will  be  very  happy  to  give  you 
any  information  he  thinks  it  is  proper  for  you  to  have.'* 

Mr.  Briskett,  having  taken  his  long  look  ahead, 
turned  on  his  heel,  and  went  aft  again. 

"Where  are  we  going,  Mr.  Bitts?"  said  Herman, 
to  the  carpenter,  who  had  been  within  hearing  during 
the  dialogue  with  the  head  steward. 

"  Going  to  sea." 

"  Yes  ;  but  where  are  we  bound?" 

"  Bound  to  sea." 

"  But  how  long  are  we  to  be  out?" 

"  Well,  I've  boxed  the  compass,  taken  an  observa 
tion,  worked  up  an  altitude,  swung  six  and  cast  out 
nine,  —  and  I've  made  up  my  mind  that  we  shall  be 


262  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

out  till  we  return  to  port  again.  I  may  be  wrong, 
but  you  can  figure  it  up  for  yourself." 

"  O,  come !  Is  there  any  secret  about  the  vessel's 
destination?"  added  Herman. 

"  There's  Mr.  Fluxion,  wearing  out  the  planks  of 
the  quarter-deck.  He's  a  good  sailor,  and  a  gentle 
man  from  his  top-lights  down  to  his  keelson ;  and  if 
you  ask  him,  he'll  tell  you  all  he  has  a  mind  to." 

"  If  he's  a  gentleman,  I  hope  the  forward  officers 
will  take  lessons  of  him,"  added  Herman,  disgusted 
with  the  conduct  of  the  carpenter. 

"  I  shall,  for  one ;  for  we  have  so  many  unlicked 
cubs  on  board  now,  that  I  am  afraid  my  manners 
have  suffered  by  being  among  them,"  laughed  Bitts. 
"  But  do  you  really  want  to  know  where  we  are  going, 
young  gentlemen?" 

"  I  do,  for  one,"  replied  Perth,  promptly. 

u  You  won't  say  a  word  if  I  tell  you  —  eh?"  added 
Bitts,  very  seriously. 

"  Not  a  word." 

"Well,  we  are  bound  down  to  the  coast  of  Africa 
to  get  a  cargo  of  gorillas.  Mr.  Fluxion  is  going 
into  the  show  business." 

"  You  get  out !  "  exclaimed  Perth,  vexed  to  find 
himself  "  sold." 

"  I  don't  know  but  the  plan  was  changed,"  contin 
ued  the  carpenter.  "  Some  of  them  were  afraid  we 
might  get  things  mixed  on  board ;  and  after  we  got 
the  cargo  in,  we  couldn't  tell  the  gorillas  from  the  run 
aways." 

Bitts  thought  he  had  said  a  clever  thing ;  and, 
chuckling  at  his  own  wit,  he  turned  on  his  heel,  and 
walked  aft  to  the  waist. 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  263 

"  It's  no  use  to  ask  them  anything,"  said  Herman. 

"  I  suppose  we  may  as  well  keep  still,  and  wait  till 
something  turns  up,"  added  Perth. 

"  I  don't  see  that  we  can  do  anything  else." 

"  Unless  we  start  the  water  in  the  tanks,"  suggested 
Perth.  • 

"  And  have  our  own  supply  cut  off.  I  had  enough 
of  that  sort  of  thing  in  the  ship.  If  we  don't  behave 
well,  the  first  thing  Fluxion  will  do  will  be  to  put  us 
on  salt  horse  and  hard  bread." 

"  We  won't  do  anything  yet.  In  my  opinion,  we 
shall  go  into  port  in  a  day  or  two." 

At  eight  bells  the  starboard  watch  were  piped  to 
dinner,  being  relieved  by  the  port  watch.  The  wind 
continued  fresh  and  fair ;  and  the  Josephine  flew  on 
her  course,  logging  from  ten  to  twelve  knots  all  day. 
The  portion  of  the  crew  off  duty  were  not  required 
to  recite  any  lessons,  or  do  anything  else.  The  se 
vere  course  of  study  to  which  Mr.  Fluxion  had  sub 
jected  them,  during  the  absence  of  the  rest  of  the  com 
pany  in  France  and  Switzerland,  had  enabled  them  to 
make  up  all  deficient  lessons.  The  principal  had 
requested  Mr.  Fluxion  not  to  assign  any  studies  to  his 
charge,  unless  it  became  necessary  to  do  so  in  order 
to  keep  them  out  of  mischief.  The  crew  were  to 
serve  in  quarter  watches,  from  eight  at  night  till  eight 
in  the  forenoon,  though  the  acting  watch  officers  were 
to  serve  full  time. 

Night  came  on  with  the  breeze  freshening,  and  the 
top-gallant-sail  was  furled.  The  Josephine  then  had 
all  she  could  carry,  for  Mr.  Fluxion  was  not  a  fair- 
weather  sailor,  and  always  crowded  on  all  the  vessel 


264  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

would  stagger  under.  The  wind  was  more  to  the 
eastward  than  when  the  schooner  left  Brest,  which 
still  kept  it  fair.  At  eight  bells  in  the  evening, 
the  first  part  of  the  starboard  watch  took  the  deck ; 
and  the  night  wore  away  without  any  exciting  inci 
dent  to  break  the  monotony.  Peaks  and  Cleats  were 
thorough  seamen,  and  being  in  authority,  they  com 
pelled  every  seaman  to  do  his  duty. 

The  sea  was  rough  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  and  the 
Josephine,  though  she  made  good  weather  of  it,  was 
rather  wet  on  deck.  But  she  was  making  a  splendid 
voyage  so  far.  On  the  forenoon  of  the  second  day  out, 
Perth  and  Herman,  having  the  watch  below,  had  an 
other  discussion  in  regard  to  the  probable  length  of  the 
cruise.  The  vessel  was  still  headed  away  from  Brest ; 
and  even  if  she  put  about  then,  it  might  take  her  two 
or  three  days  to  work  back  to  the  port  where  they  had 
left  the  ship.  The  prospect  was  decidedly  sickening. 
The  Josephine  was  far  out  of  sight  of  land,  and  still 
headed  south-west  by  west.  The  officers  were  as  taci 
turn  as  on  the  previous  day,  so  far  as  the  destination 
of  the  vessel  was  concerned,  though  they  were  very 
considerate  in  every  other  respect.  There  was  nothing 
to  do  after  the  decks  had  been  washed  down  in  the 
morning.  The  wind  was  a  little  lighter,  and,  in  addi 
tion  to  the  top-gallant-sail,  the  fore  square-sail  was 
set,  so  that  her  speed  was  at  no  time  less  than  ten 
knots,  and  most  of  the  time  it  was  twelve. 

"What  do  you  make  of  it  now,  Little?"  said  Ib- 
botson,  just  before  neon  on  the  second  day  out.  "  Do 
you  think  we  shall  get  back  to  Brest  in  a  day  or  two?" 

"  Of  course  we  shall." 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN    GERMANY.  265 

"  Bah  !  What's  the  use  of  talking?  "  We  couldn't 
beat  back  to  Brest  now  in  three  days." 

"  Perhaps  we  shall  make  some  other  port  in  France," 
suggested  Little,  with  a  sickly  smile. 

"  What !  steering  south-west  by  west?  Not  much  ! 
I  tell  you  we  are  homeward  bound." 

"  Nonsense  !  Not  unless  we  are  going  by  the  way 
of  Cape  Horn,  Behring's  Straits,  and  the  North-west 
Passage !  Keep  cool,  Ibbotson ;  we  shall  come  out 
right  yet." 

"  But  we  are  sold.  Lowington  has  the  weather- 
gage  of  us,  and  we  are  beaten  at  our  own  game." 

"  Not  yet." 

"Yes,  we  are.  We  shall  not  see  the  coast  of 
France  again  this  year.  I'll  bet  you  Fluxion's  star 
board  whisker,  our  cruise  for  this  season  is  up." 

"  Don't  croak." 

They  all  croaked  when  the  vessel  had  been  out 
thirty  hours,  and  was  still  persistently  headed  to  the 
south-west.  The  day  wore  wearily  away,  crowded 
with  doubt,  anxiety,  and  perplexity  to  the  runaways. 
At  three  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  starboard  watch 
were  on  deck,  Peaks,  by  order  of  Mr.  Fluxion,  sta 
tioned  a  lookout  in  the  fore-top.  Perth  and  Her 
man  were  the  first  to  do  this  duty. 

"  I  suppose  our  game  is  all  up,"  said  the  latter,  as 
they  seated  themselves  in  the  top. 

"  It  don't  look  very  hopeful ;  but  I  suppose  we  are 
going  somewhere,"  replied  Perth.  "  When  we  make 
a  port,  I'm  off,  if  I  have  to  swim  ashore." 

"  I'm  with  you  ;  but  those  five-pound  notes  will  suf 
fer  in  the  water." 


266  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

"  I  will  look  out  for  them,"  answered  Perth,  grating 
his  teeth  with  anger.  "  I  think  we  are  reduced  to 
common  sailors,  and  I  can't  stand  it." 

"  One  thing  is  certain ;  we  can't  help  ourselves. 
If  Fluxion  chooses  to  go  round  the  world  with  us,  we 
can't  do  anything  but  submit." 

"  I'm  not  so  sure  of  that.  When  we  find  out  where 
he  is  going,  we  can  figure  up  what  it  is  best  to  do. 
We  are  not  babies,  and  thirty-one  of  us  can  do  some 
thing.  But  we  will  keep  still  till  we  ascertain  where 
we  are  going." 

"  Look  ahead  ! "  said  Herman,  pointing  a  little  over 
the  port  bow.  "  Isn't  that  land?  " 

"  It  looks  like  it ;  but  don't  say  anything  yet." 

"  What  can  it  be?"  asked  Herman. 

"  It  is  Cape  Ortegal,  if  it  is  anything,  on  the  north 
west  corner  of  Spain.  We  can  tell,  in  a  few  hours 
after  we  come  up  with  the  cape,  how  they  head  her," 

They  watched  -the  dark,  hazy  line  for  half  an  hour 
longer,  and  then  shouted,  "  Land,  ho  1 "  The  an 
nouncement  made  a  sensation  among  the  runaways, 
but  it  afforded  no  revelation  of  the  purposes  of  the 
vice-principal.  Still  the  Josephine  sped  on  her  way, 
and  in  a  few  hours  was  up  with  Cape  Ortegal. 
She  kept  on  the  same  course,  with  the  coast  of  Spain 
in  sight,  till  dark.  Mr.  Fluxion  remained  on  deck ; 
for  he  attended  to  the  navigation  himself.  At  twelve 
o'clock  at  night,  the  first  part  of  the  port  watch  came 
on  deck,  and  Little  and  Ibbotson  tried  to  ascertain 
where  they  were.  The  tell-tale  still  indicated  south 
west  by  west  as  the  course.  A  bright  light  on  the 
shore  bore  south-east  by  south.  Mr  Fluxion  watched 
the  light  and  the  compass.  . 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN    GERMANY.  267 

"  Keep  her  south-west  by  south,"  said  he  to  the 
hands  at  the  wheel. 

"  South-west  by  south,"  repeated  one  of  the  sea 
men. 

"  Trim  the  sails,  Mr.  Peaks,"  added  the  vice-prin 
cipal. 

"  Ay,  ay !  sir.  Man  the  fore-sheet !  Now  walk 
away  with  it !  Avast !  Belay  !  "  said  the  acting  first 
officer ;  and  the  manoauvre  was  repeated  upon  the 
mainsail. 

The  yards  were  trimmed  for  the  new  course,  and 
there  was  nothing  more  to  be  done.  The  seamen  not 
occupied  at  the  helm,  or  on  the  lookout,  stowed  them 
selves  away  in  comfortable  places. 

"We  are  going  nearly  south  now,"  said  Ibbotson, 
as  he  and  Little  seated  themselves  under  the  weath 
er  rail. 

"  South-west  by  south,"  added  Little,  gloomily  ;  for 
even  he  had  almost  lost  hope. 

"  I  heard  Perth  say  there  were  over  two  points  and 
a  half  variation ;  and  that  makes  the  course  about 
south  by  west.  Where  do  you  suppose  we  are 
bound?" 

"  I  can't  guess.  I  suppose  we  shall  fetch  up  some 
where.  When  we  do,  I'm  off  as  soon  as  the  mud- 
hook  finds  bottom.  I'm  not  sure  that  I  shall  wait  till 
we  go  into  port,"  added  Little,  desperately. 

"  Why,  what  can  you  do?" 

"  We  are  not  more  than  ten  or  fifteen  miles  from 
the  coast  of  Spain.  If  we  could  only  drop  a  boat  into 
the  water,  I  would  risk  getting  ashore." 

"  You  can't  do  that." 


268  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

"  Fluxion  has  turned  in  now.  Cleats  and  Bitts  have 
the  next  watch,"  continued  Little,  suggestively. 

"  They  won't  let  you  off." 

"  Bitts  goes  to  sleep  ;  and  Cleats  may  go  below  for 
something,"  said  Little,  dropping  his  voice  to  a  whis 
per.  "  We  will  talk  it  over  to-morrow  with  Perth  and 
Herman."  » 

"  But  you  can't  do  anything." 

"  Perhaps  we  can,"  answered  the  little  villain  ;  but 
there  was  not  much  of  his  usual  elasticity  of  spirits  in 
his  tones. 

Ibbotson*  had  no  faith,  and  did  not  even  care  to  talk 
about  what  seemed  to  him  such  an  impracticable 
scheme.  At  four  bells  they  were  relieved,  and  the 
night  wore  away  without  any  incident.  All  the  fol 
lowing  day  the  Josephine  kept  in  about  the  same  posi 
tion  with  regard  to  the  shore,  running  rapidly  to  the 
southward.  Mr.  Fluxion  "  made  no  sign,"  and  the 
acting  officers  were  as  reticent  as  ever. 

"  Perth,  I  have  an  idea,"  said  Little,  as  they  met  on 
deck. 

"  So  have  I,"  replied  the  disgusted  leader  of  the 
runaways.  "  I  have  an  idea  that  we  are  going  round 
the  world.  This  is  our  third  day  out,  and  no  signs  of 
turning  back." 

"  I  mean  that  I  have  a  plan." 

"You  always  have  a  plan,"  added  Perth,  with  a 
sickly  grin. 

"  If  you  don't  want  to  hear  it,  all  right ;  but  I  mean 
to  get  out  of  this  scrape,  if  I  can." 

"  So  do  I.  If  we  don't  do  something  we  shall  be 
the  laughing-stock  of  the  whole  ship's  company,  if  we 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  269 

ever  join  them  again,  of  which  I  have  some  doubts. 
Lowington  has  hauled  us  up  to  the  bull-ring  this 
time,  if  he  never  did  before.  He  has  the  weather- 
gage  of  us." 

"  That's  so." 

"  If  you  have  a  plan,  let's  hear  it." 

"  O,  I  won't  trouble  you  with  it.  You  don't  think 
much  of  my  plans." 

"  Yes,  I  do.  I  regard  you  as  a  genius  in  that  line. 
You  gave  us  the  plan  by  which  we  got  off  in  the 
Josephine." 

"  This  little  thing  is  for  our  four  fellows  only,"  con 
tinued  Little,  mollified  by  the  credit  awarded  to  him. 

"  All  right ;  propel." 

"  We  are  only  ten  or  fifteen  miles  from  land.  This 
is  Portugal  off  here,  I  suppose." 

"  Yes ;  we  shall  be  off  Cape  Roca  to-night,  if  the 
wind  keeps  up,  and  I  think  we  go  within  five  or  six 
miles  of  the  shore." 

"  So  much  the  better." 

"  Well,  what's  up  ?  "  asked  Perth,  with  a  yawn  which 
indicated  that  he  had  not  much  hope  of  any  scheme. 

"  Cleats  and  Bitts  will  be  on  the  mid  watch  to-night. 
I  notice  that  Cleats  goes  into  the  cabin  once  or  twice 
in  our  quarter  watch,  and  I  suppose  he  does  in  yours." 

"  Yes,  after  his  coffee,  I  suppose.  He  always  comes 
back  eating  a  biscuit." 

"Just  so  ;  and  Bitts  goes  to  sleep." 

"  Not  often." 

"  I've  seen  him  asleep." 

"  The  officers  on  duty  have  to  keep  on  their  feet  all 
the  time,"  said  Perth. 


270  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

"  No  matter  if  they  do.  Bitts  leans  against  the  fore 
mast,  and  goes  to  sleep.  He  isn't  used  to  being  on 
watch  lately." 

"Well," go  ahead." 

"  When  Peaks  goes  below,  we  will  draw  the  slide 
on  him,  and  lock  him  into  the  cabin,"  added  Little. 

"  Good !  Go  on,"  replied  Perth,  beginning  to  be 
interested.  "  Bitts  is  still  on  deck." 

"  Pass  a  line  around  him,  and  make  him  fast  to  the 
foremast  while  he  is  asleep." 

"  It  will  be  apt  to  wake  him." 

"  No  matter  ;  he  is  fast." 

"  He  will  make  a  noise." 

"  But  the  other  officers  are  locked  into  the  cabin." 

"  It  might  work.     What  then?  " 

"  Lower  the  second  cutter,  and  go  ashore." 

"  They  would  pick  us  up  as  soon  as  they  broke  out 
of  the  cabin.  The  other  fellows  would  work  against 
us  if  we  don't  take  them  with  us." 

"  Well,  make  a  big  thing  of  it,  and  take  all  the  fel 
lows  and  all  the  boats,"  said  the  accommodating  little 
villain. 

"  That  would  do  better ;  and  there  isn't  a  fellow  on 
board  who  isn't  up  to  such  a  move." 

"  That's  so." 

"  It  will  take  some  time  to  work  up  the  idea,  though 
we  have  the  steerage  all  to  ourselves,"  added  Perth, 
musing. 

The  conspirators  discussed  the  scheme  at  every  op 
portunity  during  the  day,  and  imparted  it  to  the  rest 
of  the  crew.  Some  of  them  suggested  objections,  but 
all  of  them  were  willing  to  take  part  in  the  enterprise, 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN    GERMANY.  271 

for  they  were  so  utterly  disgusted  with  the  course  of 
Mr.  Fluxion,  that  anything  was  preferable  to  sub 
mission. 

"  Suppose  we  get  ashore,"  said  Sheffield.  "  We 
shall  be  in  Portugal,  perhaps  fifty  miles  from  any  large 
place." 

"  Cape  Roca  isn't  twenty  miles  from  Lisbon,"  re 
plied  Perth.  "  We  can  walk  that  distance  in  a  day." 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  in  Lisbon?  Not  one 
of  us  can  speak  a  word  of  Portuguese." 

"  We  can  do  just  the  same  as  we  should  have  done 
in  Brest,  and  raise  money  on  our  letters  of  credit,  and 
get  to  Paris.  We  can  take  a  steamer  back  to  Brest. 
The  fare  will  not  be  more  than  ten  dollars  apiece  in 
the  fore  cabin." 

"  Why  not  wait  till  we  see  where  we  are  going?" 
suggested  Sheffield. 

"  It  may  be  too  late  then,"  answered  Perth.  "  If 
Fluxion  should  suddenly  head  the  vessel  to  the  west 
ward,  that  would  mean  home.  The  cook  says  we 
have  fresh  provisions  enough  for  thirty  days,  which 
they  took  in  while  we  were  attending  lecture." 

"  Does  he  know  where  we  are  bound?" 

"  No  ;  or  if  he  does,  he  won't  say  anything." 

"  I  don't  believe  in  landing  at  any  such  place  as 
Lisbon,  or  anywhere  in  Portugal ;  though,  of  course, 
I  will  do  what  the  rest  of  the  fellows  wish." 

Perth  and  Little  were  too  impatient  to  postpone  the 
enterprise,  though  they  acknowledged  the  difficulty 
of  landing  in  Portugal.  They  worked  up  the  details 
of  the  plan,  and  a  part  was  assigned  to  each  of  the 
runaways.  Phillips  was  to  secure  Bitts,  with  the  as- 


272  DOWN   THE   RHINE,   OR 

sistance  of  half  a  dozen  others.  Perth  was  to  close 
the  companion  way,  lock  it,  and  also  drive  a  nail  into 
the  slide  to  make  it  sure.  Greenway  was  to  cover 
and  secure  the  sky-lights.  Herman  was  to  fasten  the 
door  leading  from  the  cabin  to  the  steerage  with  a 
handspike.  Ibbotson  was  to  bar  the  door  of  the  fore 
castle,  where  the  cooks  and  under  stewards  slept. 
Others  were  to  back  the  head  sails,  so  as  to  lay  to 
the  vessel ;  and  when  all  these  things  had  been  done, 
the  boats  were  to  be  lowered,  —  the  places  of  all  the 
party  having  been  assigned  to  them,  —  and  they  were 
to  pull  for  the  shore. 

The  night  came  on,  and  the  light  on  Cape  Roca 
was  identified  by  Perth,  at  four  bells ;  but  a  fog  set  in 
from  seaward,  and  he  decided  that  it  was  not  prudent 
to  take  to  the  boats  under  such  circumstances,  for  the 
reason  that  the  boat  compasses  were  in  the  cabin,  and 
could  not  be  obtained.  At  seven  bells  on  Saturday 
morning  the  Josephine  was  off  Cape  St.  Vincent. 

"  Keep  her  south-east,"  said  Mr.  Fluxion  to  the 
quarter-master  at  the  wheel,  when  the  headland  bore 
north-east  from  the  vessel. 

"  South-east ! "  exclaimed  Perth,  when  the  order  had 
been  repeated.  "  That  means  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar. 
Fellows,  we  are  bound  up  the  Mediterranean." 

"What  does  it  mean?"  inquired  Herman. 

"  Fluxion  is  going  to  Italy,"  replied  the  leader,  bit 
terly.  "  He  is  taking  us  with  him  !  " 

Perth's  conclusion  was  passed  along  till  every  seaman 
on  board  understood  it.  The  mystery  was  solved  at 
last.  There  could  be  no  doubt  of  the  co^ctness  of 
the  solution,  and  great  were  the  wrath  and  indignation 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  273 

of  the  runaways.  It  was  abominable  to  compel  them, 
the  sons  of  gentlemen,  to  work  the  vessel  as  foremast 
hands,  while  she  was  employed  on  Mr.  Fluxion's  pri 
vate  business.  It  was  an  insult  to  them,  an  insult  to 
their  parents,  and  an  outrage  upon  humanity  in  gen 
eral.  It  was  not  to  be  endured,  and  rebellion  was  a 
duty.  Little's  plan  was  in  higher  favor  than  ever. 

The  wind  was  light,  and  the  vessel,  close-hauled, 
made  but  five  and  six  knots  during  the  day.  At  night 
she  was  out  of  sight  of  land.  All  day  Sunday  she 
made  but  little  progress,  and  lay  in  a  calm  for  several 
hours.  Towards  night,  however,  a  fresh  westerly 
wind  came  to  her  aid,  and  on  Monday  morning  the 
crew  saw  the  mountains  of  Europe  and  Africa  vying 
with  each  other  in  sublimity,  though  they  were  too  sour 
to  appreciate  the  grandeur  of  the  scene.  The  vessel 
hugged  the  Spanish  shore,  and  Perth  was  on  the  look 
out  for  an  opportunity  to  spring  the  trap  ;  but  the  sea 
was  so  rough  and  choppy,  and  the  current  so  swift, 
that  he  was  not  willing  to  embark  in  the  boats.  It 
looked  altogether  too  perilous.  Besides,  Bitts  did  not 
lean  against  the  mast  and  go  to  sleep,  and  Cleats  sent 
a  hand  down  to  bring  up  his  luncheon,  and  the  vice- 
principal  staid  on  deck  nearly  all  night. 

"  I  think  Fluxion  smells  a  mice,"  said  Perth,  the 
next  day. 

44  Why  so?"  asked  Little. 

"  Because  he  stays  on  deck  more  than  half  the  night." 

44  He  is  anxious  about  the  navigation,  perhaps." 

44  It'is  Rfein  sailing  here,"  added  Perth.  44 1  think 
he  has  seeWour  fellows  talking  together  a  great  deal." 

That  was  really  the  case.  The  vice-principal  un- 
18 


274  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

derstood  boys  thoroughly.  He  had  observed  the  ear 
nest  talks  among  little  squads,  and  cautioned  the 
acting  officers  to  be  very  vigilant.  It  is  enough  to 
say  that  no  opportunity  was  presented  for  carrying 
out  the  scheme  of  Little,  and  the  Josephine  came  to 
anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Genoa,  ten  days  after  she 
sailed  from  Brest.  If  the  runaways  had  been  in  a 
proper  frame  of  mind  to  enjoy  it,  there  was  a  great 
deal  to  be  seen  ;  but  they  were  too  much  taken  up  with 
their  grievances  to  appreciate  strange  sights  or  beauti 
ful  scenery. 

As  soon  as  the  schooner  came  to  anchor,  three  of 
the  four  boats  were  hauled  in,  and  lowered  to  the 
deck,  where  they  were  turned  over  to  be  painted. 
Bitts  and  Gage  rowed  the  vice-principal  ashore,  while 
Peaks  and  Cleats,  laying  aside  the  dignity  of  their 
temporary  positions,  went  to  work  scraping  and  paint 
ing  the  bottoms  of  the  boats,  which  seemed  to  have 
been  removed  from  the  davits  solely  for  the  purpose 
of  preventing  any  of  the  crew  from  escaping.  Mr. 
Fluxion  was  absent  only  an  hour,  and  during  his  ab 
sence  Dr.  Carboy  watched  the  students  every  moment 
of  the  time. 

The  next  morning  a  shore  boat  brought  off  a  pale 
lady,  who  was  understood  to  be  the  vice-principal's 
sister.  They  spent  the  whole  forenoon  in  the  cabin  ; 
but  in  the  afternoon  they  went  on  shore  together,  to 
draw  up  and  execute  certain  papers.  Perth,  in  behalf 
of  the  crew,  asked  permission  of  Mr.  Fluxion,  just  as 
he  was  departing,  to  go  on  shore. 

"  Quite  impossible,  young  gentlemen,"  replied  the 
vice-principal.  "  They  are  painting  the  boats,  which 


YOUNG  AMERICA    IN   GERMANY.  275 

are  not  in  condition  to  be  used.  Besides,  there  is 
hardly  time,  for  I  hope  we  shall  be  able  to  sail  be 
fore  night." 

Perth  was  very  angry,  and  so  were  all  the  others, 
though  they  hardly  expected  the  desired  permission. 
Mr.  Fluxion  went  on  shore  with  the  pale  lady,  and 
Dr.  Carboy,  Peaks,  and  Cleats  watched  the  crew  with 
Argus  eyes.  It  was  of  no  use  for  Little  to  fall  over 
board,  for  there  was  no  boat  to  send  after  him.  Perth 
was  not  quite  willing  to  attempt  a  swim  to  the  shore,  for 
a  fresh  south-west  wind  kept  up  an  ugly  swell  in  that 
part  of  the  port  where  the  Josephine  was  anchored. 
Shore  boats  were  driven  from  alongside  by  Peaks.  In 
a  word,  Mr.  Fluxion  understood  his  crew,  and  knew 
what  he  was  about.  With  a  ship's  company  who 
had  been  desperate  enough  to  capture  the  vessel  on  a 
former  occasion,  he  was  wise  enough  to  keep  every 
thing  taut.  So  the  runaways  could  only  grumble  and 
growl,  and  watch  the  steamers  which  were  constantly 
arriving  and  departing. 

Before  sundown  Mr.  Fluxion  returned  alone.  He 
had  finished  his  business  with  his  sister,  and  the  order 
was  given  to  get  under  way,  after  the  boats  had  all 
been  restored  to  the  davits.  There  was  no  chance  to 
execute  any  of  the  desperate  schemes  which  had  been 
adopted.  Discipline  was  triumphant,  and  the  Jose 
phine  sped  on  her  way  to  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar. 
Four  days  out,  Cape  Antonio,  on  the  coast  of  Spain, 
was  sighted,  and  for  the  next  two  days  the  vessel 
sailed  along  the  coast,  with  the  lofty  mountains  of 
Spain  in  full  view. 

Mr.  Fluxion  was  communicative  enough  to  say  that 


276  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

the  Josephine  would  put  into  Lisbon,  and  await  the 
arrival  of  the  Young  America.  The  intelligence  was 
not  pleasant  to  the  runaways.  Perth  declared  that 
something  must  be  done  at  once,  or  at  least  before  the 
vessel  had  passed  Cape  de  Gata..  Alicante  and  Car- 
thagena  were  near,  and  from  either  of  them  steamers 
frequently  departed  for  Marseilles.  They  had  actually 
made  the  trip  in  the  Josephine  which  they  had  con 
templated  before  their  runaway  excursion  in  her,  but 
under  different  circumstances  from  those  they  desired. 
If  they  could  get  to  Marseilles,  the  rest  of  the  plan 
might  be  realized. 

They  had  kept  everything  in  readiness  for  the  enter 
prise  which  Little  had  planned,  and  for  a  fortnight 
had  been  on  the  lookout  for  an  opportunity  to  strike 
the  blow.  After  the  vessel  had  come  up  with  Cape 
Antonio,  Perth  told  the  fellows  he  should  make  the 
attempt  that  night,  though  it  would  be  bright  moon 
light.  The  signal  for  those  below  to  perform  the  part 
assigned  to  them  was  three  raps  on  the  deck,  over  the 
steerage,  with  the  heel  of  the  leader.  But  Perth  was 
not  in  Cleats's  watch  ;  so  he  and  Herman  hid  them 
selves  under  the  top-gallant  forecastle,  when  their 
watch  was  relieved.  About  three  bells  in  the  mid 
watch,  Little  informed  the  leader  that  Cleats  had 
gone  below. 

"Where's  Bitts?"  whispered  Perth. 

"  In  the  waist,  planking  the  deck." 

"  Call  Phillips,  quick  !  "  added  the  leader,  as  he 
came  out  of  his  hiding-place. 

Phillips  promptly  appeared.  He  was  a  great,  stout 
fellow,  as  ugly  as  he  was  big.  He  immediately  pre- 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN    GERMANY.  277 

pared  to  do  his  part.  Herman  was  sent  below  to 
see  that  every  seaman  in  the  steerage  was  awake;,and 
ready  to  act,  and  he  succeeded  in  eluding  the  sleepy 
vigilance  of  Bitts. 

Perth  gave  the  signal  for  those  in  the  steerage,  and 
at  the-  same  time  whistled  for  the  information  of  those 
on  deck.  Bitts  was  not  so  obliging  as  to  lean  against 
a  mast,  or  anything  else,  and  the  conspirators  were 
compelled  to  take  him  flying.  Phillips  had  prepared, 
with  a  piece  of  whale  line,  a  kind  of  lasso,  and,  step 
ping  up  behind  him,  threw  it  over  his  head,  drawing  it 
tight  around  his  neck,  before  the  astonished  carpenter 
suspected  any  mischief.  The  end  of  the  whale  line 
was  then  hooked  to  the  clewline  of  the  fore^square- 
sail,  which  had  been  detached  for  the  purpose.  The 
hands  at  the  clewline  walked  away  with  it,  until  the 
r$pe  bore  hard  on  the  throat  of  the  carpenter.  All 
this  was  done  in  an  instant,  for  Phillips  had  carefully 
adjusted  all  the  details  of  his  share  of  the  work.  Bitts 
tried  to  cry  out ;  but  when  he  did  so,  Phillips  ordered 
the  hands  at  the  buntline  to  haul  taut. 

"  Keep  still,  old  fellow,  or  you  shall  be  hung !  "  said 
the  ruffian  in  charge  of  the  deed. 

Bitts  was  obliged  to  keep  still,  for  when  he  strug 
gled  to  release  his  neck  with  his  hands  the  rope  was 
tightened.  In  the  mean  time,  Perth  had  secured  the 
slide,  and  those  below  had  barred  the  doors. 

"  Clear  away  the  boats  !  "  and  all  but  Phillips,  who 
was  obliged  to  watch  Bitts,  sprang  to  their  stations 
for  lowering  the  boats,  and  in  a  couple  of  minutes  all 
four  of  them  were  in  the  water,  with  the  oars  tossed, 
ready  to  pull  for  the  shore.  In  the  cabin  there  was  a 


278  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

tremendous  din,  made  by  Cleats  and  the  other  offi 
cer^  who  had  been  aroused  by  the  noise.     They  were 
trying  to  batter  down  the  door  leading  into  the  steer 
age,  but  as  yet  with  no  success. 
•    "  All  ready  !  "  shouted  Perth. 

Phillips,  who  was  the  only  one  of  the  crew  remain 
ing  on  board,  hastily  belayed  the  clewline  at  the  fife- 
rail,  hauling  it  just  tajut  enough  to  hold  Bitts,  without 
choking  him  to  death.  As  the  ruffian  leaped  into  the 
boat,  to  which  he  had  been  assigned,  Perth  gave  the 
order  to  shove  off,  and  the  runaways  pulled  with  all 
their  might  for  the  shore. 


YOUNG  AMERICA  IN   GERMANY.  279 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

HEIDELBERG   AND   HOMBURG. 

ON  the  arrival  of  the  excursion  party  at  Heidel 
berg,  they  were  conducted,  by  Mr.  Arbuckle's 
avant-courrier,  to  the  Hotel  Prinz  Karl,  in  the  market 
place,  and  near  the  castle,  which  is  the  principal  ob 
ject  of  interest  in  the  town.  One  of  the  first  persons 
that  Shuffles  saw,  as  he  walked  up  to  the  hotel,  was 
Lady  Feodora,  promenading  the  veranda  with  Sir 
\Villiam.  She  looked  a  shade  paler  than  when  the 
captain  had  met  her  last ;  but  her  color  deepened 
when  she  discovered  her  gallant  friend. 

"  I  am  delighted  to  see  you,  Captain  Shuffles ! "  ex 
claimed  she,  deserting  her  titled  companion,  and  rush 
ing  towards  him,  her  cheeks  suffused  with  blushes. 

"  This  is  a  very  unexpected  pleasure,''  replied  the 
commander,  his  brown  face  flushing,  u  but  none  the 
less  welcome  because  unexpected." 

"  How  glad  I  am  to  see  you  again ! "  said  she, 
taking  his  offered  hand,  as  they  met. 

"  Thank  you ;  but  not  so  glad  as  I  am,"  added  he, 
in  a  lower  tone. 

"  I  hope  you  are  very  well,  Captain  Shuffles/'  in 
terposed  Sir  William,  stiffly. 

"  Quite  well,  I  thank  you." 


280  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

"  Lady  Feodora  has  been  quite  ill,"  added  the  baro 
net,  "or  we  should  have  been  in  Brussels  by  this 
time." 

"  I  have  not  been  very  ill ;  but  father  thought  we 
had  better  remain  here  a  few  days.  Now  I  am  almost 
glad  I  was  ill,  since  it  gives  me  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
you  again,"  continued  the  young  lady,  with  a  childish 
candor  which  brought  a  frown  to  the  brow  of  the  little 
baronet. 

"  You  are  very  kind,  Lady  Feodora/' 

Sir  William  thought  so  too. 

"  We  have  been  all  over  the  castle,  Captain  Shuf 
fles  ;  and  I  am  going  to  be  your  guide,"  continued 
she,  playfully. 

"  I  am  afraid  your  health  will  not  permit  you  to  do 
so  much,"  suggested  Sir  William. 

"  O,  I  feel  quite  strong  now." 

The  conversation  was  interrupted  by  the  appear 
ance  of  Feodora's  father  and  mother,  who  extended 
to  Shuffles  a  cordial  and  hearty  greeting.  Mr.  Low- 
ington  and  the  party  were  warmly  welcomed  by  the 
earl's  family.  The  business  of  sight-seeing  required 
immediate  attention,  and  Shuffles  was  taken  into  a 
carriage  with  his  English  friends ;  for  the  daughter 
insisted  upon  redeeming  her  promise.  Sir  William 
evidently  did  hot  enjoy  the  excursion ;  but  he  was  ap 
parently  unwilling  to  be  left  at  the  hotel. 

Heidelberg  is  beautifully  located  on  a  narrow  strip 
of  land  between  the  River  Neckar  and  the  vast,  high 
rock  on  which  the  castle  stands.  It  has  one  principal 
street,  nearly  three  miles  long,  and  contains  a  popula 
tion  of  about  seventeen  thousand.  It  is  situated  in 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  28 1 

the  midst  of  some  of  the  finest  scenery  in  Germany ; 
and  all  tourists  agree  in  calling  it  one  of  the  most  de 
lightful  residences  in  Europe.  The  students  walked 
through  the  principal  street  and  along  the  banks  of 
the.  Neckar  until  dinner  time,  when  Professor  Mapps 
found  an  opportunity  to  say  something  about  the 
place. 

"  Heidelberg  was  once  the  capital  of  the  Palatinate 
established  here  by  the  Emperor  Otto  of  Germany  in 
the  tenth  century.  _  The  Palatines  were  sub-rulers, 
whose  duty  it  was  to  look  after  the  interests  of  the 
emperor.  This  palatinate,  including  the  northern 
portion  of  Baden  and  a  part  of  Bavaria,  became  the 
most  powerful  in  the  empire,  and  was  divided  into  the 
Upper  and  Lower  Palatinates." 

"What  does  palatinate  mean,  sir?"  asked  a  stn- 
dent. 

"  It  means  merely  the  territory  of  a  sub-ruler,  who 
was  called  a  palatine^  from  the  Latin  word  palatium, 
a  palace.  When  the  throne  of  Germany  became 
elective,  these  palatines  chose  the  emperor,  and  for 
this  reason  were  called  electors-palatine,  or  simply 
electors.  The  castle  here  was  the  residence  of  the 
elector  of  this  division.  The  town  has  suffered  more 
from  the  ravages  of  war  than  almost  any  other  in  Eu 
rope.  It  has  been  bombarded  five  times,  burned  twice, 
and  captured  and  pillaged  three  times. 

"  The  university  is  one  of  the  most  noted  in  the 
world,  as  well  as  one  of  the  oldest  in  Germany,  hav 
ing  been  founded  in  1386.  It  has  had  at  one  time 
nearly  nine  hundred  students,  and  generally  has  seven 
or  eight  hundred.  It  employs  the  most  celebrated 


282  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

professors  in  Europe,  especially  in  the  departments 
of  law  and  medicine.  Its  library  contains  some  very 
rare  and  valuable  works,  printed  and  in  manuscript." 

"  What  about  the  duels,  sir?  "  inquired  Haven. 

"  The  students  here  are  noted  for  the  duels  which 
take  place  among  them.  Four  or  five  have  occurred 
in  a  single  day,  and  perhaps  they  average  a  dozen  a 
week.  But  I  wish  to  say,  in  the  beginning,  that  duel 
ling  and  other  vicious  practices  charged  upon  the 
University  of  Heidelberg  are  confined  to  about  one 
fifth  of  the  whole  number  of  students.  They  are  not 
all  duellists,  nor  all  inordinate  beer-drinkers.  Proba 
bly  they  are  no  worse  than  the  residents  at  other  uni 
versities,  though  the  duels  are  certainly  exceptional. 
Four  fifths  of  the  students  here  are  devoted  to  their 
studies,  improve  their  time  to  the  utmost,  and  never 
engage  in,  or  even  see,  a  duel. 

"  These  combats  —  which  they  are,  rather  than 
duels  —  take  place  at  the  Hirschgasse,  a  lonely  hotel 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Neckar.  The  fighting  and 
dissipated  students  form  themselves  into  clubs,  called 
4  chores/  among  which  a  great  deal  of  jealousy  and  ill 
feeling  prevails.  The  fights  are  to  avenge  insults,  to 
'  see  who  is  the  best  fellow,'  or  between  representa 
tives  of  different  chores,  who  battle  for  the  honor  of 
their  clubs.  The  champions  fight  with  blunt  swords 
ground  sharp  on  the  two  edges.  They  slash  each 
other,  but  do  not  thrust,  so  that  the  combats  seldom 
result  in  mortal  wounds. 

"  In  a  fight  for  the  honor  of  the  clubs,  the  parties 
tie  up  their  necks  and  right  arms  in  bandages  and 
cushions.  When  they  fight  for  the  satisfaction  of  an 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  283 

injury  or  insult,  they  have  no  protection.  The  combat, 
in  all  cases,  is  decided  in  fifteen  minutes ;  and  at  the 
end  of  this  time,  the  one  who  has  the  fewest  cuts  is 
declared  to  be  the  best  fellow.  If  one  of  the  cham 
pions  is  severely  injured  in  less  than  fifteen  minutes, 
so  that  he  cannot  continue  the  fight,  it  is  finished  up 
on  another  occasion.  A  surgeon  is  always  in  attend- 
'ance  to  decide  whether  a  wounded  contestant  is  able 
to  go  on.  The  police  are  on  the  watch  for  these  fights  ; 
but  the  students  station  sentinels  for  some  distance  from 
the  arena  of  contest,  and  the  approach  of  an  officer  is 
communicated  to  them  in  season  to  enable  the  comba 
tants  to  escape.  I  need  not  add,  that  these  duels  are 
brutal  and  disgraceful.  It  looks  as  though  the  police 
winked  at  them. 

"  In  some  of  these  clubs,  the  ability  to  drink  from 
a  dozen  to  thirty  glasses  of  beer  at  a  sitting  is  a  neces 
sary  qualification  for  admission.  But  these  beastly 
and  brutal  tendencies  belong,  I  repeat,  to  a  minority 
of  the  students." 

After  the  lecture,  the  party  started  for  the  castle, 
Shuffles  riding  with  the  earl's  family,  and  Paul  with 
the  Arbuckles,  while  the  rest  walked.  Heidelberg 
Castle  has  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  most 
imposing  and  interesting  ruins  in  Europe.  The  grounds 
are  quite  extensive,  and  full  of  curious  objects.  The 
students  wandered  through  the  halls  and  subterranean 
vaults  till  they  came  to  the  famous  tun,  which  is  thirty- 
six  feet  long,  and  twenty-four  feet  high,  having  a  ca 
pacity  of  eight  hundred  hogsheads.  It  was  employed 
to  contain  the  wine  of  the  vineyards ;  but  it  has  not 
been  used  during  the  last  hundred  years.  A  run  to 


284  DOWN    THE   RHINE,    OR 

the  Konigstuhl,  or  King's  Seat,  —  a  high  hill  behind 
the  castle,  which  commands  a  magnificent  view  of 
the  valleys  of  the  Neckar  and  the  Rhine,  and  of  the 
mountains  in  the  vicinity,  —  finished  the  work  of  the 
week. 

As  the  next  day  was  Sunday,  the  party  remained 
at  Heidelberg,  and  attended  church  at  the  English 
chapel  in  the  forenoon.  In  the  afternoon  they  visited 
the  Church  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  has  a  partition 
through  the  entire  length  of  it,  dividing  it  into  two 
equal  parts,  one  of  which  is  used  by  the  Catholics, 
and  the  other  by  the  Protestants.  Services  in  both 
take  place  at  the  same  time. 

On  Monday  morning  the  excursionists,  including 
the  earl's  party,  proceeded  to  Darmstadt.  When  Lady 
Feodora  had  taken  a  back  seat  next  to  the  window,  in 
a  compartment  of  the  railway  carriage,  she  insisted 
that  Shuffles  should  have  the  seat  opposite,  much  to 
the  disgust  of  Sir  William,  who  usually  occupied  that 
position.  In  fact,  he  was  angry,  and  did  not  take 
much  pains  to  conceal  his  ill-will.  It  is  doubtful 
whether  Shuffles  understood  the  matter,  but  the  young 
lady  was  very  strongly  interested  in  him.  She  did 
not  like  the  baronet,  and  she  did  like  the  young  com 
mander.  As  the  latter  had  rendered  her  a  signal  ser 
vice  on  Lake  Constance,  she  felt  justified  in  extending 
unusual  attentions  to  him.  Sir  William  was  jealous, 
as  well  he  may  have  been ;  for  his  lady-love  hardly 
condescended  to  notice  him,  while  all  her  smiles  were 
bestowed  upon  the  gallant  young  seaman. 

There  was  nothing  especial  to  be  seen  in  Darmstadt, 
and  after  the  party  had  walked  through  the  principal 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  285 

street,  and  glanced  at  the  Grand  Ducal  Palace,  they 
•were  ready  to  continue  their  journey  to  Frankfurt, 
where  they  arrived  in  less  than  an  hour,  and  repaired 
to  the  Hotel  de  Russie  for  dinner.  Mr.  Drexel,  one 
of  the  landlords,  was  especially  devoted  to  the  party, 
and  afforded  them  every  facility  for  seeing  the  city  in 
the  shortest  possible  time.  The  dinner  was  capital, 
and  when  it  had  been  disposed  of  by  the  hungry 
students,  they  were  in  condition  to  hear  Professor 
Mapps. 

"  Darmstadt,  where  we  spent  an  hour  this  fore 
noon,"  said  the  professor,  "  is  the  capital  of  Hesse 
Darmstadt,  which  consists  of  two  divisions  of  \.<$f\\- 
tory,  separated  by  a  strip  of  land  belonging  to  Hesse 
Cassel  and  Frankfurt.  It  has  an  area  of  thirty-two 
hundred  square  miles, — being  about  two  thirds  of  the 
size  of  Connecticut  —  and  a  population  of  about  eight 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand.  It  is  a  constitutional 
monarchy  in  its  government,  the  Grand  Duke  Ludwig 
III.  being  the  sovereign.  The  word  Hesse,  applied 
to  several  of  the  German  states,  indicates  that  they 
are  parts  of  the  original  territory  which  bore  that 
name.  One  of  its  rulers  divided  his  country  into  four 
unequal  parts,  and  gave  them  to  his  sons.  Two  of 
the  descendants  of  these  sons  dying  without  children, 
there  remained  only  Hesse  Cassel  and  Hesse  Darm 
stadt.  Hesse  Homburg  formerly  belonged  to  Darm 
stadt,  but  was  ceded  to  another  branch  of  the  reigning 
family  in  1622.  It  is  composed  of  two  parts ;  the 
smaller,  containing  forty-three  square  miles,  and  eleven 
thousand  five  hundred  inhabitants,  is  about  ten  miles 
north  of  Frankfurt ;  the  other  portion,  having  eighty- 


286  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

five  square  miles,  and  fourteen  thousand  five  hundred 
inhabitants,  is  on  the  other  side  of  the  Rhine.* 

"  Frankfurt-on-the-Maine,  so  called  to  distinguish  it 
from  Frankfurt-on-the-Oder,  is  a  free  city,  and  the 
capital  of  the  Germanic  Confederation.  It  is  a  little 
nationality  by  itself,  having  the  right  to  make  its  own 
local  laws,  levy  duties,  and  other  powers  belonging  to 
a  state.  It  is  represented  in  the  Federal  Diet.  This 
territory  includes  nine  villages,  besides  the  city  proper, 
with  a  population  of  about  seventy-five  thousand.  It 
is  a  very  old  city,  and  is  mentioned  in  history  in  the 
time  of  Charlemagne,  who  had  a  palace  here.  This 
city  is  the  original  home  of  the  Rothschilds,  the  great 
bankers,  upon  whom  even  princes  wait  —  when  they 
are  short  of  money.  The  family  are  Jews,  who  form  a 
considerable  part  of  the  population  of  Frankfurt.  T*he 
house  in  which  several,  if  not  all,  the  prominent  sons 
were  born,  is  shown  in  thejudengasse,  or  Jews  Street. 
The  laws  were  formerly  very  severe  upon  the  Israel 
ites.  They  were  compelled  to  reside  in  their  own 
quarter,  where  the  gates  were  closed  upon  them  at  an 
early  hour.  A  regulation  forbade  the  celebration  of 
more  than  thirteen  marriages  among  the  race  in  the 
city  within  a  year.  All  these  stringent  laws  have  been 
rescinded. 

"  Gothe,  the  German  poet,  was  born  in  Frankfurt; 
and  you  will  see  his  house,  which  contains  some  relics 
of  him.  Luther,  the  Reformer,  also  resided  here  for 

*  Hanover,  Hesse  Cassel,  Hesse  Homburg,  Nassau,  the 
part  of  Hesse  Darmstadt  north  of  the  Maine,  Hohenzollern, 
and  Frankfurt  were  annexed  to  Prussia  in  1866. 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  287 

a  time.  The  city  is  noted  for  the  wealth  of  its  mer 
chants,  and  there  are  many  magnificent  private  resi 
dences  within  its  limits." 

The  professor  finished  his  lecture,  and  the  party 
started  to  see  the  sights  to  which  he  had  alluded.  The 
old  cathedral,  with  its  unfinished  tower,  was  very 
much  like  many  others  they  had  seen.  Within  its 
chapel  all  the  elected  emperors  were  crowned  in  front 
of  the  high  altar.  The  Town  Hall  was  the  scene  of 
the  festivities  which  followed  the  election  of  an  em 
peror.  He  was  feasted  in  the  banquet  hall,  where  the 
kings  and  princes  of  his  empire  waited  upon  him  at 
table,  in  token  of  their  subservience.  A  whole  ox, 
was  roasted  in  the  market-place,  —  into  which  the 
students  looked  from  the  windows,  —  and  the  em 
peror  ate  a  slice,  while  from  a  fountain  flowing  with 
•wine  the  cup-bearer  filled  his  flagon.  The  room  is 
hung  with  portraits  of  the  emperors,  under  most  of 
•which  are  placed  the  mottoes  adopted  at  their  coro 
nation. 

Passing  across  to  the  Hirschgraben,  the  tourists 
visited  the  house  where  Gothe  was  born.  Over  the 
front  door  is  the  coat  of  arms  of  the  poet's  father,  which 
consists  of  three  lyres,  as  if  to  prefigure  the  destiny 
of  the  genius  who  first  saw  the  light  within  its  walls. 
Gothe's  room  is  a  garret,  wherein  his  portrait,  his 
autograph,  and  his  washstand  are  exhibited.  His 
statue  stands  near  the  theatre,  and  one  of  Schiller  in 
front  of  the  guard-house.  From  the  house  of  the 
poet,  the  party  went  to  the  Stiidel  Museum,  filled  with 
fine  pictures,  mostly  by  Dutch  and  German  artists, 
which  is  named  for  its  founder,  a  liberal  banker,  who 


288  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

gave  four  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  the  institution, 
besides  a  collection  of  artistic  works.  From  the  mu 
seum,  the  students,  after  a  walk  of  over  a  mile,  reached 
the  Jewish  quarter,  glanced  at  the  Rothschild  House, 
the  synagogue,  arid  other  buildings,  returning  to  the 
Hotel  de  Russie  at  dark. 

On  the  following  morning  the  party  went  to  Horn- 
burg,  nine  miles  distant,  where  they  spent  the  rest  of 
the  day.  The  town  is  another  watering-place,  and 
has  increased  in  popularity  till  it  outrivals  Baden-Ba 
den,  Wiesbaden,  or  any  other  fashionable  resort  in 
Germany.  It  has  its  medicinal  springs,  which  are 
Beneficial  in  a  variety  of  diseases.  The  Kurhaus 
is  the  most  magnificent  in  Europe,  containing  lofty 
halls,  elegantly  frescoed,  for  dancing,  gambling,  for 
restaurants  and  reading-rooms.  As  in  Baden-Baden, 
the  gambling  monopoly  is  in  the  hands  of  French 
speculators,  and  the  lavish  expenditure  upon  the  gar 
dens,  buildings,  and  other  appointments  is  an  instruc 
tive  commentary  on  the  chances  which  favor  the 
visitor  disposed  to  try  his  fortune. 

"  Commodore,"  said  Ben  Duncan,  who  was  now 
the  second  master  of  the  Josephine,  as  they  met  at  the 
Hotel  Quatre  Saisons  in  the  evening,  "  I  have  lost 
two  hundred  florins." 

"  What !  "  exclaimed  Paul.     • 

"  Certainly,  Mr.  Duncan,  you  have  not  been  gam 
bling,"  added  Grace  Arbuckle,  looking  as  sad  as  though 
she  had  lost  a  dear  friend. 

"  I  lost  two  hundred  florins  out  in  that  dog-house," 
replied  Ben,  who  was  the  wag  of  the  party,  and  a  gen 
eral  favorite.  - 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN   GERMANY.  289 

"  What  dog-house?"  inquired  Paul. 

"Why,  the  big  onz  —  aufdem  Platz." 

"  Do  you  mean  the  Kursaal  ?  "  asked  Paul. 

"Mr.  Fetridge  calls  it  a  dog-house,  in  Harper's 
Hand  Book," 

"  No." 

"  The  cur-house  —  what's  the  difference?" 

"  U  in  German  is  pronounced  like  double  o.  But 
you  don't  mean  to  say  you  have  been  gambling,  Ben  ?  " 
added  Paul. 

"  I  said  I  had  lost  two  hundred  florins,"  replied  Ben, 
with  a  most  lugubrious  expression. 

"  Impossible !  " 

"  I  was  standing  near  the  table,  in  the  grand  gam 
bling  hell,  — I  beg  pardon,  hall,  —  watching  the  play, 
when  I  saw  a  Russian  czar,  king,  grand  dook,  poly- 
wog,  or  something  of  that  sort,  win  -two  hundred 
florins  at  one  fell  swoop.  Now,  thinks  I  to  myself, 
if  I  should  put  down  two  hundred  florins,  and  win,  I 
should  make  two  hundred  florins  by  the  operation.  I 
didn't  do  it— ^so  I'm  two  hundred  florins  out." 

Ben  dropped  his  chin,  and  looked  very  sad,  while 
Grace  and  Paul  laughed  heartily,  perhaps  more  at  the 
"  face  "  the  wag  made,  than  at  the  joke  he  had  perpe 
trated. 

"I  hope  your  losses  will  always  be  of  this  de 
scription,  Ben,"  added  Paul. 

Probably  they  will  be  while  each  student  is  allowed 
only  a  florin  a  day  for  pocket-money,"  replied  Ben. 
"  There  is  to  be  a  grand  concert  in  the  dog-house  this 
evening.  Of  course  we  shall  go  !  " 

"  Certainly." 

'9 


290  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

"  Suppose  we  walk  down  now." 

"  If  you  please  ;  but  don't  call  it  a  dog-house." 

"  Well,  it  is  a  gambling-hole,  and  I  don't  know  but 
it  is  a  libel  on  the  dog  to  call  it  so,"  answered  Ben, 
as  they  walked  towards  the  Kursaal. 

Most  of  the  excursionists  were  headed  in  that  direc 
tion.  Shuffles  was  with  the  earl's  party,  though, 
strangely  enough,  Sir  William  was  not  at  the  side  of 
Lady  Feodora.  They  seated  themselves  in  the  grand 
apartment,  and  gazed  with  interest  at  the  brilliant 
scene  before  them. 

"Where  can  Sir  William  be?"  said  Lady  Blank- 
ville. 

"  I  do  not  know,  mother,"  replied  Feodora,  languidly, 
as  though  she  did  not  care  where  he  was. 

"  I  haven't  seen  him  these  two  hours." 

"  Nor  I,"  added  Feodora,  in  a  tone  which  indicated 
that  she  did  not  wish  to  see  him  for  two  hours  more. 

"  I  will  look  for  him,  if  you  desire,"  suggested 
Shuffles. 

"  O,  no  !  Do  not  trouble  yourself,"  replied  Feodo 
ra.  "  Perhaps  he  is  looking  at  the  play." 

"  Pray,  do,  if  you  please,  Captain  Shuffles,"  inter 
posed  the  countess. 

Lady  Feodora  was  too  dutiful  a  girl  to  object,  and 
the  commander  went  to  the  gambling-rooms.  At  the 
roulette  table  he  found  the  baronet,  playing  with  a 
zeal  which  indicated  that  this  was  not  the  first  time  he 
had  indulged  in  the  baneful  game.  He  was  not  stak 
ing  large  sums,  but  he  was  losing  about  three  out  of 
four  times  that  he  put  down  his  money. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Sir  William,  but  Lady  Blank- 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN    GERMANY.  29! 

ville  is  anxious  to  see  you,"  whispered  Shuffles  in 
his  ear. 

"  Lady  Blankville  !  "  exclaimed  the  baronet,  turning 
from  the  table  as  he  lost  his  last  stake,  and  walking 
towards  the  concert-room. 

"  Lady  Blankville,"  repeated  the  captain. 

"  Lady  Feodora  is  not  anxious  to  see  me  —  is  she?" 
said  Sir  William,  bitterly. 

"  She  did  not  say  that  she  was,"  replied  Shuffles. 

"  No  ;  she  did  not ! "  added  the  baronet,  stopping 
suddenly,  and  looking  his  companion  in  the  face. 
"  Will  you  do  me  the  favor  to  walk  in  the  garden 
with  me?" 

"  While  the  ladies  are  waiting  for  us,  it  is  hardly 
proper  to  be  absent  from  them,"  replied  Shuffles, 
troubled  by  the  manner  of  the  young  gentleman. 

"  Perhaps  you  are  right,"  mused  Sir  William. 
"  Will  you  meet  me  alone  at  the  hotel,  after  the 
ladies  have  retired?  " 

"  For  what  purpose?"  inquired  Shuffles,  nervously. 

"  I  have  not  time  to  explain  now.  Will  you  meet 
me  ?  "  continued  the  baronet,  earnestly. 

"  If  possible,  I  will." 

They  joined  the  party  in  the  concert-room.  Sir  Wil 
liam  was  cool,  and  inclined  to  be  morose.  Shuffles 
was  rather  disturbed  by  his  manner,  and  could  not 
help  wondering  for  what  purpose  the  baronet  wished 
to  meet  him  alone.  He  had  not  failed  to  see  that 
Lady  Feodora  regarded  her  travelling  companion, 
whose  relations  to  her  he  could  only  infer,  with  a  feel 
ing  bordering  upon  aversion,  and  that  her  demeanor 
towards  him  was  in  marked  contrast  with  her  bearing 


292  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR       . 

towards  himself.  He  was  afraid  the  proposed  meet 
ing  related  to  this  subject.  While  the  party  were 
listening  to  the  enchanting  music  of  the  band,  he  tried 
to  ascertain  whether  he  had  said  or  done  anything  to 
give  offence  to  the  baronet.  It  was  not  his  fault  that 
the  lady  did  not  like  Sir  William,  and  rebelled  against 
the  relation  which  appeared  to  exist  in  form  between 
them.  But  the  captain  was  willing  to  give  the  baro 
net  any  explanation  he  might  demand,  and  hoped  that 
all  unpleasant  feelings  would  be  removed  by  the  in 
terview. 

After  the  tourists  had  returned  to  the  hotel,  and  the 
ladies  had  gone  to  their  rooms,  Shuffles  walked  up 
and  down  the  hall  till  the  baronet  joined  him.  Taking 
his  arm,  Sir  William  led  him  to  an  unfrequented  part 
of  the  garden,  and  there  halted. 

"  Captain  Shuffles,  I  believe  you  are  a  gentleman, 
and  have  the  instincts  of  a  gentleman,"  the  young 
Englishman  began. 

"  I  trust  I  have,"  replied  Shuffles,  not  a  little  agi 
tated,  for  the  manner  of  his  companion  was  very  ear 
nest  and  serious. 

"  You  have  placed  me  under  very  great  obligations 
to  you.  I  cheerfully  acknowledge  them.  I  am  willing 
to  believe  that  both  Lady  Feodora  and  myself  would 
have  been  drowned  but  for  your  plucky  conduct  and 
generous  efforts  in  our  behalf  on  Lake  Constance." 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  have  served  you,  and  I  assure 
you  I  hold  you  to  no  obligations  of  any  kind,"  replied 
Shuffles.  "  I  simply  did  what  I  regarded  as  my  duty, 
which  my  sea  life  fitted  me  to  perform." 

u  Having  acknowledged  my  obligations,  you  will 


YOUNG  AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  293 

permit  me  to  add,  that  I  think  you  are  making  a  very 
unfair  and  ungenerous  use  of  your  position.  After 
your  noble  conduct  on  the  lake,  I  expected  something 
like  magnanimity  from  you.  I  am  sorry  to  say  I  have 
been  disappointed,"  continued  Sir  William,  bitterly. 

"  Really,  I  do  not  understand  you,"  replied  the  cap 
tain,  amazed  at  the  sudden  turn  in  the  style  of  his 
companion. 

"  Is  it  possible  that  you  do  not  comprehend  my  rela 
tions  with  Lady  Feodora  ? "  demanded  the  baronet. 
•"  Let  me  explain,  then,  that  we  have  been  affianced 
from  our  childhood." 

"  Indeed ! " 

"  You  could  not  help  seeing  that  our  relations  were 
of  this  kind." 

"  I  did  suppose  there  was  something  of  this  descrip 
tion." 

"  Then  allow  me  to  say  again  that  you  have  made  a 
very  ungenerous  use  of  your  position." 

"  In  what  respect?" 

"  You  have  extended  to  Lady  Feodora  many  atten 
tions,"  said  the  baronet,  becoming  more  and  more 
excited. 

"  Only  ordinary  courtesies." 

"  But  such  courtesies  as  belong  to  me  rather  than 
to  you.  I  am  devotedly  attached  to  her." 

"  If  any  of  my  attentions  were  not  agreeable  to  the 
lady,  she  had  only  to  decline  them." 

"  There  you  presume  upon  the  position  which  cir 
cumstances  have  given  you." 

"  If  Lady  Feodora  is  attached  to  you  —  " 

"  She  is  not  attached  to  me." 


294  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

"  Then  you  make  a  very  ungenerous  use  of  your 
position,"  retorted  Shuffles,  rather  warmly. 

"What  do  you  mean,  sir?"  demanded  Sir  William. 

"  If  your  parents  and  hers  made  a  bargain  for  her 
which  she  repudiates,  I  say  it  is  ungenerous  in  you  to 
use  such  an  advantage  as  that  bargain  gives  you." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  insult  me?" 

"  Certainly  not ;  only  to  speak  as  plainly  as  you 
have  spoken.  If  my  presence  is  disagreeable  to  the 
lady,  I  will  avoid  her." 

"  Your  presence  is  not  disagreeable  to  her,"  added 
Sir  William,  unable  to  conceal  his  vexation. 

"  Then  you  will  excuse  me  if  I  decline  to  treat  her 
with  the  rudeness  you  suggest." 

"  I  find  I  am  mistaken  in  you,  and  I  regret  that  you 
compel  me  to  ignore  the  obligations  under  which  you 
have  placed  me." 

"  I  cheerfully  absolve  you  from  any  obligations 
which  may  weigh  heavily  upon  you.  But  I  assure 
you,  I  have  no  ill-will  towards  you,  and  I  shall  con 
tinue  to  treat  you  with  courtesy  and  kindness.  In 
about  a  week,  our  ship's  company  will  return  to 
Brest,  and  sail  for  the  United  States.  It  is  not  proba 
ble  that  I  shall  ever  see  Lady  Feodora  or  you  again." 

"  Will  you  pledge  yourself  never  to  see  her  again 
after  this  week?"  demanded  Sir  William. 

"I  will  not  —  certainly  not,"  replied  Shuffles.  "I 
do  not  purpose  to  interfere  in  any  way  with  your 
relations  to  her.  If  she  desires  to  see  me,  and  it  is 
possible  for  me  to  see  her,  I  shall  not  deny  myself  that 
pleasure." 

The  baronet  suddenly  turned   upon  his  heel,  and 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  295 

walked  rapidly  towards  the  hotel.  Shuffles  was 
amazed.  He  could  not  conceal  from  himself  the  truth 
that  he  was  deeply  interested  in  Lady  Feodora,  though 
no  thought  of  anything  beyond  friendship  occurred  to 
either  of  them.  They  might  or  might  not  continue  in 
company  for  another  week,  and  then  part,  in  all  human 
probability,  forever  in  this  world.  Still,  the  situation 
was  novel  enough  to  be  exciting,  and  he  lay  awake, 
thinking  of  it,  for  several  hours  that  night.  But  in 
the  morning  Sir  William  appeared  as  usual,  and 
probably,  on  reflection,  had  decided  not  to  do  any 
desperate  deed. 

At  seven  o'clock  the  excursionists  returned  by  train 
to  Frankfurt.  It  was  decided  then  that,  as  Wies 
baden,  one  of  the  celebrated  German  watering-places, 
was  only  a  repetition  of  Baden-Baden  and  Homburg, 
the  company  should  proceed  direct  to  Mayence,  where 
they  arrived  by  nine  o'clock. 


296  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

CASTLES,   VINEYARDS,    AND   MOUNTAINS. 

AS  the  students  were  crossing  the  bridge  to  May- 
ence,  they  obtained  a  full  view  of  one  of  the 
great  rafts  of  timber  which  float  down  the  Rhine,  and 
of  which  Professor  Mapps  had  spoken  to  them  at  Dort, 
in  Holland.  However,  it  was  much  smaller  than  those 
of  which  they  had  heard,  and  they  hoped  to  see  an 
other.  The  students  were  not  disposed  to  "  do  "  May- 
ence,  being  too  impatient  to  witness  the  glories  of  the 
Rhine.  But  most  of  them,  from  a  sense  of  duty  rather 
than  from  an  interest  in  the  place,  visited  the  principal 
attractions  of  the  city. 

"Mayence  is  the  French  name  of  the  town,"  said 
the  professor  of  geography  and  history,  as  the  students 
collected  in  the  railroad  station,  previous  to  the  tramp. 
"  The  German  name  is  Mainz,  which  is  pronounced 
Mynts  —  y  like  long  i.  If  you  pronounce  it  in  any 
other  way,  a  German  will  not  know  what  you  mean. 
It  was  an  old  Roman  town.  A  fortress  was  estab 
lished  here  to  keep  back  the  barbarians.  It  was  for 
merly  a  larger  and  more  important  city  than  at  present, 
having  now  a  population  of  only  forty  thousand. 

"  This  place  has  done  two  grand  things  for  civiliza 
tion  and  for  Europe.  It  was  the  cradle  of  the  art  of 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  297 

printing,  and  furnished  the  man  who  suppressed  the 
robber  knights.  As  you  go  down  the  Rhine,  you  will 
see  the  ruins  of  many  old  castles  on  the  hills  by  the 
banks  of  the  river.  The  nobles,  who  occupied  them 
as  strongholds,  carried  on  a  system  of  robbery,  levy 
ing  duties  upon  all  who  travelled  on  its  waters  or 
passed  through  their  territory.  Arnold  von  Walpoden 
suggested  the  plan  which  led  to  a  confederation  of  the 
cities  for  the  driving  out  of  the  knightly  highwaymen, 
and  the  destruction  of  their  strongholds.  They  were 
feudal  lords,  and  the  breaking  of  their  power  opened 
the  way  for  the  progress  of  civilization. 

"  Mayence  was  the  birthplace  of  Gutemberg,  who 
invented  movable  types  for  printing,  and  reduced  the 
art  to  practice.  You  will  see  the  site  of  the  house 
where  he  was  born,  and  the  building  which  contained 
his  first  printing-office." 

After  this  brief  explanation  the  party  walked  to  the 
cathedral,  a  very  ancient  structure,  possessing  much 
historical  interest.  Opposite  the  theatre  they  saw  the 
statue  of  Gutemberg,  and  the  guide  pointed  out  the 
place  where  his  house  stood,  and  the  old  building  in 
which  he  and  Faust  took  their  first  proofs  from  types. 

At  twelve  o'clock  the  tourists  went  on  board  of  the 
steamer  Kcinigin  von  Preussen,  and  realized  that  they 
had  actually  embarked  for  the  trip  down  the  Rhine. 
They  had  seen  the  river  at  Basle,  Constance,  and 
Schaffhausen,  had  crossed  it  at  Strasburg,  and  ob 
tained  views  of  it  from  different  points  on  their  route. 
The  steamer  was  unworthy  of  the  noble  river,  and  if 
the  palatial  boats  of  the  Hudson  could  be  run  upon  its 
waters,  they  would  lend  a  new  charm  to  the  scenery. 


298  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

The  Rhine  steamers  are  small,  compared  with  the 
Hudson  river  boats,  and  far  from  being  elegant. 
They  have  no  saloon  on  deck,  though  a  couple  of 
small  apartments,  abaft  the  paddle-boxes,  are  preten 
tiously  called  "  pavilions."  They  are  appropriated  to 
first  class  passengers,  and  are  seldom  used  except  by 
travellers  who  wish  to  be  very  exclusive.  The  sec 
ond  class  passengers  occupy  the  main  cabin  and  the 
deck  abaft  the  wheels.  Meals  are  served  below,  or, 
for  an  extra  price,  upon  little  tables  on  deck.  The 
third  class  travellers  have  the  forward  deck,  with  piles 
of  luggage  to  lounge  upon.  The  relative  fares  are 
as  the  ratios  four,  six,  and  nine.  From  Mayence  to 
Bingen  the  time  is  about  two  hours,  and  the  fares 
are  eight,  twelve,  and  eighteen  silver  groschen.  The 
steamers  stop  at  all  the  principal  landings,  and  pas 
sengers  are  occasionally  brought  off  in  small  boats 
from  other  places. 

The  company  dined  in  the  cabin  before  the  Konigin 
started,  so  as  not  to  lose  a  single  view.  The  dinner 
was  an  excellent  one,  and  cheap,  the  ordinary  price 
being  seventeen  silver  groschen,  or  about  forty-one 
cents.  When  served  to  private  parties  on  deck,  the 
price  is  one  thaler,  or  seventy-two  cents. 

"Are  those  steamboats?"  asked  Paul,  pointing  to  a 
number  of  boats  with  houses  on  deck,  and  having  im 
mense  wheels. 

"  No,"  replied  Dr.  Winstock.  "  They  are  mills  for 
grinding  grain." 

"  But  what  turns  the  wheels  ?" 

"  They  are  moored  as  you  see  them  in  the  river, 
and  the  current  turns  the  wheels,  which  are  very 
large,  so  as  to  gain  power." 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  299 

"  That's  a  new  idea  to  me,"  added  Paul. 

"  I  have  seen  just  such  in  the  Alabama  River,  in  our 
own  country,"  replied  the  surgeon, 

"  It  is  certainly  a  very  good  way  to  obtain  the 
power." 

The  boat  started,  and  soon  made  a  landing  at 
Biebrich,  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  where  pas 
sengers  from  Frankfurt,  Homburg,  and  Wiesbaden 
usually  take  the  steamers.  As  the  Konigin  proceeded 
on  her  way,  a  feeling  of  general  disappointment  per 
vaded  the  minds  of  the  party,  who  had  not  seen  the 
river  before. 

"  It  does  not  compare  with  the  Hudson,"  protested 
Paul. 

"  Wait,  Paul !  "  said  the  doctor,  with  a  smile. 

"  How  long  shall  I  wait?  " 

"  Two  hours.  You  must  not  be  hasty  in  your  judg 
ment." 

"What  is  this  town  on  the  right?"  asked  Grace. 

"  Eltville.  Do  you  see  the  white  building  in  the 
midst  of  the  vineyards,  some  distance  down  the 
river?"  said  the  doctor,  pointing  to  the  shore. 

"  I  see  it." 

"That  is  the  chateau  of  Johannisberg,  belonging  to 
Prince  Metternich,  formerly  a  celebrated  prime  minis 
ter  of  Austria.  Those  vineyards  are  the  most  noted 
in  the  world.  The  famous  Johannisberger  wine  is 
made  from  these  grapes.  It  sells  here  for  five  or  six 
dollars  a  bottle,  where  ordinary  kinds  can  be  bought 
for  twenty  cents,  and  even  less.  The  grapes  are  very 
precious,  and  are  kept  upon  the  vines  till  they  are 
nearly  rotten.  Those  that  fall  off  are  picked  up  with 


3OO  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

a  kind  of  fork,  so  valuable  are  they  deemed.  Of  the 
seventy  acres  contained  in  the  vineyard,  only  a  small 
portion  produces  the  best  wine,  which  is  not  found 
except  in  the  cellars  of  kings  and  princes.  This  is 
Riidesheim,  where  the  boat  will  make  a  landing," 
added  Dr.  Winstock,  as  the  steamer  stopped  her 
wheels.  "  A  famous  wine  is  also  made  here.  It  is 
said  that  Charlemagne,  seeing  from  his  castle  win 
dows,  near  Mayence,  how  early  the  snow  disappeared 
from  the  heights  below  us,  ordered  vines  from  France 
to  be  set  out  here ;  and  from  these  vines  is  produced 
the  noted  Riidesheimer  wine. 

"What  place  is  this?"  inquired  Paul,  at  a  point 
where  the  course  of  the  river  seemed  to  be  obstructed 
by  rocks  and  hills. 

"  Bingen  on  the  Rhine,"  said  the  surgeon.  "  Here 
the  waters  of  the  river  are  crowded  in  a  narrow  space. 
Look  upon  the  hills  around  you,  and  see  how  every  foot 
of  ground  is  economized  for  the  vineyards.  Where  the 
hill-sides  are  too  steep  for  cultivation,  they  are  formed 
into  terraces,  as  you  see  them." 

The  steamer  stopped  a  few  moments  at  Bingen, 
which  contains  about  seventy-five  hundred  inhab 
itants. 

"  On  our  left,  now,  are  the  dominions  of  the  King 
of  Prussia  —  the  Rhenish  provinces.  On  our  right,  as 
before,  is  the  Duchy  of  Nassau.  What  do  you  think 
of  the  Rhine  now?"  asked  Dr.  Winstock. 

"  It  is  improving,  certainly,"  laughed  Paul.  "  The 
scenery  is  really  very  grand  and  very  fine.  I  will  give 
it  up  now.  It  is  finer  than  the  Hudson.  But  where 
are  the  old  castles  ?  " 


YOUNG  AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  30! 

"  There  is  one  of  them,"^  answered  the  doctor, 
pointing  to  a  ruin  which  crowned  a  hill  on  the 
right.  "That  is  the  Castle  of  Ehrenfels.  There  is 
a  legend  connected  with  about  every  one  of  them. 
There  is  the  Mouse  Tower." 

The  doctor  pointed  to  a  stone  structure  rising  from 
the  river  a  short  distance  from  the  shore.  It  was  cer 
tainly  a  very  romantic  building,  and  in  a  very  romantic 
situation. 

"  What  is  the  story  about  this  tower?  "  asked  Paul. 

"  If  you  take  Southey's  works  when  you  return  to 
the  ship,  you  will  find  in  them,  '  The  Tradition  of 
Bishop  Hatto.'  He  was  the  Archbishop  of  Mayence, 
and  during  a  famine  kept  his  granaries,  well  filled 
with  food,  locked,  and,  by  his  own  profusion  and 
high  living,  excited  his  starving  subjects  to  revolt. 
The  prelate  ordered  the  rebels  to  be  arrested,  con 
fined  them  in  a  building,  and  set  it  on  fire.  Not 
content  with  this  outrage,  he  added  insult  to  injury 
by  mocking  the  wail  of  the  sufferers,  and  comparing 
their  cries  with  the  squeaking  of  mice.  In  the  night 
which  followed  the  diabolical  deed,  a  swarm  of  mice 
penetrated  to  the  apartments  of  the  archbishop's  palace, 
attacked  him,  and  tried  to  tear  the  flesh  from  his  bones. 
Appalled  by  this  poetic  justice,  the  cruel  prelate  fled, 
and,  taking  to  the  river,  reached  this  insulated  tower. 
Suspending  his  bed  in  the  upper  part  of  the  structure, 
he  struggled  to  escape  from  the  mice,  as  merciless  as 
he  had  himself  been.  But  the  mice  followed  him,  and 
he  could  not  avoid  the  doom  that  was  in  store  for  him. 
Vainly  he  resisted.  The  rats  attacked  him,  and  he 
suffered  a  lingering  and  horrible  death.  It  is  but  fair 


3O2  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

to  add  that  history  gives  the  archbishop  a  different 
character.  Do  you  happen  to  know  the  meaning  of 
the  German  word  mauth?" 

"  A  duty,  or  a  toll,"  replied  Grace. 

u  The  German  for  mouse  is  maus,  and  probably  it 
is  in  this  instance  corrupted  from  mauth;  for  nothing 
could  have  made  the  tower  and  its  owners  more  odi 
ous  than  the  collection  of  duties  from  voyagers  on  the 
river.  There  is  a  sad  story  connected  with  the  Brd- 
mserberg  Castle,  which  we  saw  above.  Bromser  of 
Ruhesheim  went  to  Palestine  with  the  crusaders, 
and,  while  there,  distinguished  himself  by  slaying  a 
dragon  which  made  itself  very  annoying  to  the  Chris 
tian  army.  He  was  immediately  after  captured  by  the 
Saracen  forces,  and  reduced  to  slavery.  While  in  this 
condition,  he  made  a  solemn  vow,  that  if  he  were 
ever  permitted  to  return  to  his  castle  again,  he  would 
give  his  only  daughter  to  the  church.  Improving  an 
opportunity  to  kill  his  guard,  he  succeeded  in  reaching 
his  home,  where  he  was  met  by  his  daughter,  a  lovely 
young  woman,  who  was  betrothed  to  a  young  knight. 
Her  father  told  her  of  the  vow  he  had  taken.  Tear 
fully  she  entreated  him  to  change  his  purpose ;  but 
his  pledge  to  the  church  could  not  be  set  aside.  Brom 
ser  threatened  her  with  his  curse  if  she  refused  to 
obey.  Life  had  no  charms  apart  from  the  young 
knight,  and  she  determined  to  die.  In  the  midst  of  a 
violent  storm,  she  threw  herself  from  the  castle  battle 
ments  into  the  river,  .and  her  corpse  was  found  the 
next  day,  by  a  fisherman,  near  the  Mouse  Tower.  The 
boatmen  and  peasants  say,  to  this  day,  that  they  some 
times  see  the  pale  form  of  Gisela  hovering  above  the 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN    GERMANY.  303 

castle,  mingling  her  wails  with  the  meanings  of  the 
storm." 

"  That's  a  very  pretty  story,  and  I  suppose  young 
ladies  in  that  age  were  like  those  of  the  present," 
added  Paul.  "  Perhaps  more  so,  for  now  they  don't 
throw  themselves  from  walls  into  a  damp  river  for 
such  a  cause." 

"  There's  another  castle  ! "  exclaimed  Grace,  point 
ing  to  the  left. 

"  That  is  Rheinstein,  a  castle  which  has  been  re 
stored,  and  is  the  summer  residence  of  a  Prussian 
prince.  Below  the  castle,  where  the  road  runs  be 
tween  the  rock  and  the  river,  tolls  were  levied  upon 
Jews  who  passed  that  way.  And  it  is  even  said  that 
the  collectors  had  little  dogs  trained  to  know  a  Jew 
from  a  Christian,  and  to  seize  him  with  their  teeth." 

Castle-crowned  heights  succeeded  each  other  in 
rapid  succession  ;  and  in  this  part  of  the  river  they 
are  so  thick,  that  our  students  had  to  keep  their  eyes 
wide  open  in  order  to  see  them  all.  Rocky  steeps 
rose  from  the  verge  of  the  water ;  and  wherever  there 
was  any  soil,  or  any  earth  could  find  a  resting-place,  the 
spot  was  made  into  a  vineyard.  Sometimes  the  vines 
have  to  be  planted  in  baskets,  while  all  the  steep  hill 
sides  are  terraced  to  the  height  of  a  thousand  feet 
above  the  river.  To  reach  these  plats  of  ground,  the 
peasants,  male  and  female,  must  climb  the  steeps,  and 
everything  used  there  must  be  carried  up  on  the  shoul 
ders.  The  vine-dressers  are  a  very  industrious  people, 
and  nothing  but  the  most  determined  perseverance 
could  induce  them  to  cultivate  these  lofty  artificial  beds. 

The   towns  on   the   banks  of  the  Rhine  are  pic- 


304  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

turesque,  and  one  never  tires  of  looking  at  them.  In 
deed,  half  a  dozen  voyages  down  the  Rhine  no  more 
than  enable  the  tourist  to  see  all  its  wonders  and  all  its 
beauties. 

"  Stahlech  Castle,"  said  Dr.  Winstock,  pointing  to 
a  ruin  on  the  left.  "  It  was  the  palace  of  the  Elector 
Palatine.  Between  the  castle  and  the  hill  are  the  re 
mains  of  St.  Werner's  Chapel.  In  the  middle  ages,  it 
is  said  that  the  Jews  at  Oberwesel,  farther  down  the 
river,  crucified  a  Christian  named  Werner,  and  threw 
the  body  into  the  stream.  Instead  of  descending  with 
the  current,  it  was  carried  by  a  supernatural  agency 
up  the  river,  from  which  it  was  taken  at  Bacharach, 
the  town  we  are  approaching,  interred,  and  after 
wards  canonized.  The  chapel  was  built  over  the 
grave.  Doubtless  the  story  was  invented  to  afford  a 
pretext  to  rob  and  persecute  the  Hebrews,  though  in 
former  ages  such  excuses  seem  to  have  been  hardly 
needed." 

"  There  is  another  castle  in  the  river,"  said  Grace, 
as  the  boat  left  Bacharach.  "  It  is  an  odd-looking 
building." 

"That  is  the  Pfalz,  and  the  town  on  the  right  is 
Caub.  A  toll  was  paid  here  by  all  vessels  navigating 
the  river.  The  Duke  of  Nassau  inherited  the  right  to 
levy  this  tax,  and  exercised  the  right  to  collect  it,  until 
three  or  four  years  ago.  The  Pfalz  was  his  toll-house. 
In  the  middle  ages,  thirty-two  tolls  were  levied  at  the 
different  stations  on  the  river.  Schonberg  Castle  is  on 
the  left.  What  does  the  word  mean?  " 

"Beautiful  hill,"  replied  Grace. 

"It  is  called- so  because  the  occupant  had  seven 


YOUNG  AMERICA    IN   GERMANY.  305 

beautiful  daughters,  who  were  sad  flirts.  All  the 
young  knights  in  the  vicinity  were  bewitched  by  their 
beauty,  but  they  were  so  hard-hearted  that  they  would 
accept  none  of  them  ;  and,  as  the  penalty  of  their  obdu 
racy,  they  were  changed  into  seven  rocks,  and  planted 
in  the  middle  of  the  river,  where  you  will  presently 
see  them." 

Passing  Oberwesel  and  the  Seven  Sisters,  the  water 
was  considerably  agitated  where  the  current  had  for 
merly  produced  a  whirlpool,  in  its  course  among  the 
rocks,  which  have  now  been  removed  by  blasting. 
There  was  also  a  rapid  just  above  it,  and  the  place  was 
very  perilous  for  the  long  rafts,  which  were  some 
times  dashed  to  pieces  upon  the  sunken  rocks.  The 
bank  of  the  river  on  the  right  rises  abruptly  to  a 
great  height,  and  the  precipice  is  called  the  Lurlei. 
It  has  an  echo  which  gives  back  fifteen  repetitions 
of  the  original  sound.  It  sometimes  makes  intelligent 
replies ;  and  wicked  students  put  to  it  the  question, 
"  Who  is  the  burgomaster  of  Oberwesel?"  To  which 
it  responds,  "  Esel,"  which,  in  English,  means  an  ass. 
The  burgomaster  intends  to  have  it  indicted  for 
slander. 

This  echo,  which  repeats  the  sounds  from  below, 
and  the  wild  character  of  the  region,  have  produced 
a  legend  that  the  place  is  haunted  by  a  beautiful  but 
wicked  water  nymph,  who  lured  the  voyager,  by  her 
witching  voice,  to  the  rocks  and  the  whirlpool,  where 
his  boat  was  dashed  to  pieces. 

St.  Goar  and  St.  Goarhausen  are  opposite  each 
other,  on  little  shelves  under  the  brow  of  the  continu- 
20 


306  DOWN    THE   RHINE,    OR 

ous  range  of  hills  which  wall  in  the  Rhine  for  miles. 
The  railroad  extends  along  the  left  bank  of  the  river, 
in  the  rear  of  which  is  Rheinfels  Casfle,  —  the  most 
extensive  ruin  on  the  river,  —  nearly  four  hundred  feet 
above  the  water.  The  Mouse,  on  the  other  side,  is 
supposed  to  have  some  unpleasant  relations  with  the 
Cat,  farther  up  the  stream.  On  the  right,  opposite 
the  small  town  of  Salzig,  are  two  twin  castles,  which 
go  by  the  name  of  the  Brothers.  Their  owners,  bear 
ing  this  relation  to  each  other,  unfortunately  fell  in 
love  with  the  same  beautiful  lady,  fought  for  her,  and 
both  were  killed. 

"  This  is  Boppart,  a  very  old  place,  occupied  by 
the  Romans,"  said  Dr.  Winstock,  as  the  steamer  made 
a  landing.  "  You  have  noticed  that  the  shelf  of  land 
on  each  side  of  the  river,  grows  wider  and  the  hills 
are  farther  from  the  stream.  Between  this  point  and 
Bingen,  the  Rhine  makes  its  passage  through  the 
mountains.  Some  suppose  the  river,  at  a  remote 
period,  forced  its  way  through  the  range,  and  formed 
the  narrow  gorge  which  we  have  passed,  and  that 
the  country  as  far  back  as  Basle  was  a  vast  lake, 
for  various  sea  shells  and  fossils  are  found  there. 
Marksburg  Castle,  on  your  right,  is  very  much  like 
the  one  you  saw  at  Baden-Baden  ;  and  a  walk  through 
its  deep  dungeons  hewn  out  of  the  rock,  its  torture- 
rooms,  and  its  subterranean  galleries,  is  enough  to  in 
spire  a  sensation  novel.'* 

"  Dear  me  1 "  yawned  Grace,  "  I  am  almost  tired 
of  castles." 

"I    think  Captain   Shuffles  is  also,"  added   Paul. 


YOUNG  AMERICA    IN    GERMANY.  307 

"  I  notice  that  he  hardly  looks  at  them.  Well,  he  has 
something  better  to  look  at." 

"What?" 

"  Lady  Feodora,"  laughed  Paul. 

"  The  best  way  to  go  down  the  Rhine,  if  one  has 
the  time,  is  to  go  from  town  to  town  by  railway,  and 
then  pass  through  the  region  in  a  steamer,  to  put  the 
effects  together.  I  am  sorry  you  are  tired  of  it,"  said 
the  surgeon. 

"  I  enjoy  the  scenery,  but  I  have  had  about  castles 
enough  for  one  day." 

"  There  are  not  so  many  below  Coblenz.  You 
have  now  4  done '  the  most  beautiful  portion  of  the 
river,  and  the  trip  to-morrow  will  be  hardly  more  in 
teresting  than  the  same  distance  on  the  Hudson." 

The  young  people  devoted  some  time  to  conversa 
tion  with  each  other ;  but  the  doctor  pointed  out  the 
Konigstuhl,  where  the  seven  electors  used  to  sit,  and 
where  emperors  were  elected,  and  sometimes  de 
throned. 

"  Lahnech  Castle  has  a  peculiar  interest,"  he  con 
tinued,  as  he  called  the  attention  of  the  group  to  a 
chateau  on  the  right.  It  belonged  to  the  order  of. 
Knights  Templars,  which  was  founded,  in  1118,  for 
the  protection  of  pilgrims,  and  the  defence  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre  at  Jerusalem.  The  institution  became  re 
nowned,  and  extended  all  over  the  world.  It  was 
very  rich  and  powerful,  and  therefore  disliked  by 
the  clergy,  who  finally  overthrew  it.  Those  residing 
here  were  attacked  in  their  castle,  which  was  cap 
tured  only  after  the  last  of  its  brave  defenders  had 


308  DOWN    THE    RHINE,   OR 

been  slain.  On  the  other  side  is  Stotzenfels,  or 
Proud  Rock  —  a  title  which  it  deserves.  Upon  it  is 
the  beautiful  chateau  of  the  King  of  Prussia." 

A  short  time   after,  the   steamer  reached  Coblenz, 
where  the  excursionists  were  to  spend  the  night. 


YOUNG  AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  309 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

COBLENZ  AND  COLOGNE. 

\  PARTMENTS  had  been  engaged  at  the  Riese, 
Ji\_  or  Giant  Hotel,  near  the  landing.  It  was  too 
dark  to  see  anything  of  the  town,  but  the  students 
wandered  about  the  streets,  looking  into  the  beer 
shops,  which  they  dared  not  enter,  and  observing  the 
evening  life  of  the  Germans.  To  many  of  them  this  oc 
cupation  was  more  interesting  than  visiting  old  castles, 
or  even  modern  palaces,  especially  after  they  had  be 
come  old  stones.  Paul,  Shuffles,  and  some  others 
found  themselves  more  pleasantly  entertained  at  the 
hotel. 

After  breakfast  the  next  morning,  the  tourists  made 
a  business  of  seeing  the  place.  The  town  occupies  a 
tongue  of  land  at  the  junction  of  the  Moselle  with  the 
Rhine.  It  is  strongly  fortified,  on  the  land  side,  with 
works  which  it  required  twenty  years  to  build,  and 
there  are  forts  all  around  the  city,  which  is  intended 
to  be  a  stronghold  for  the  defence  of  Prussia  against 
an  invading  army  from  France. 

The  Church  of  St.  Castor,  at  the  confluence  of  the 
rivers,  is  a  very  ancient  structure,  in  which  the  grand 
children  of  Charlemagne  met  to  make  a  division 
of  the  empire.  Napoleon,  on  his  march  to  invade 


310  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

Russia,  caused  a  fountain  to  be  erected  in  front  of 
this  church,  bearing  an  inscription  commemorating 
the  event.  The  French  army  was  overwhelmed,  and 
a  Russian  force,  pursuing  the  remnant  of  it,  arrived  at 
Coblenz.  The  general  saw  the  obnoxious  record,  but 
instead  of  erasing  it,  he  added  the  sarcastic  sentence, 
"  Seen  and  approved  by  us,  the  Russian  commandant 
of  the  city  of  Coblenz,"  which  remains  to  this  day. 

The  party  visited  some  of  the  principal  edifices  in 
the  city,  including  the  palace,  in  which  the  King  of 
Prussia  sometimes  resides,  and  then  crossed  the  Rhine 
on  the  bridge  of  boats  to  the  immense  fortress  called 
Ehrenbreitstein,  the  meaning  of  which  is  "  honor's 
bright  stone."  It  was  a  fortress  in  the  middle  ages, 
and  was  unsuccessfully  besieged  by  the  French  in 
1688,  though  it  was  less  fortunate  in  1799,  when  the 
garrison  was  starved  into  a  surrender,  and  it  was 
blown  up.  In  1814  the  Prussians  commenced  the 
work  of  restoring  it,  and  since  that  time  they  have 
been  continually  strengthening  and  enlarging  it.  The 
series  of  military  works,  of  which  this  fortress  is  the 
principal,  are  capable  of  holding  one  hundred  thou 
sand  men,  but  five  thousand  are  sufficient  to  garrison 
them.  The  magazine  will  hold  provisions  enough  to 
supply  eight  thousand  men  ten  years.  It  mounts  four 
hundred  pieces  of  cannon.  The  rocks  have  been  hewn 
out  into  bomb-proofs  and  battlements,  and  art  has  done 
its  utmost  to  strengthen  the  place. 

The  parade  is  on  the  top  of  the  rock,  beneath  which 
vast  cisterns  have  been  constructed,  which  will  con 
tain  a  three  years'  supply  of  water.  In  addition 
to  these,  a  well,  four  hundred  feet  deep,  cut  in  the 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  311 

rock,  communicates  with  the  Rhine,  which  is  to  be 
used  only  on  an  emergency,  as  the  river  water  is  un 
wholesome.  The  river  seen  from  the  parade  is  very 
beautiful,  but  the  company  were  obliged  to  hasten  back 
to  Coblenz,  in  order  to  dine  in  season  for  the  afternoon 
steamer  to  Cologne. 

At  one  o'clock  the  voyage  down  the  Rhine  was  re 
newed,  and  the  students,  after  their  long  ramble  in  the 
forenoon,  were  glad  to  use  the  camp  stools  on  the  deck 
of  the  steamer.  Village  after  village  was  passed,  but 
the  scenery  was  less  grand  than  that  seen  the  day 
before.  There  were  fewer  castles  to  be  seen  on  the 
heights,  though  Dr.  Winstock  could  hardly  tell  the 
story  of  one  before  another  required  attention.  The 
railroads  which  extend  along  each  side  of  the  river,  in 
several  instances,  passed  under  castles,  towers,  and 
ruins,  whose  foundations  have  been  tunnelled  for  the 
purpose.  At  Andernach,  the  mountains  on  both  sides 
come  close  to  the  river  again,  and  the  water  flows 
through  a  kind  of  gorge  between  them. 

"At  Brohl,  which  you  see  on  the  left,  a  peculiar 
kind  of  stone  is  found,  which  has  the  property  of  har 
dening  under  water,  and  is,  therefore,  in  great  demand 
for  the  manufacture  of  cement,"  said  Dr.  Winstock. 
"  The  ancients  used  it  for  coffins,  because  the  stone 
absorbed  the  moisture  from  the  bodies.  These  quar 
ries  were  worked  by  the  Romans,  who  had  a  road  to 
Cologne  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river." 

"  There  are  mountains  on  the  right,"  said  Grace, 
some  time  afterwards. 

"  Those  are  the  Siebengebirge,  as  they  are  called. 
Though  the  name  indicates  seven  mountains,  there 


312  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

are  thirty  summits.  They  are  very  picturesque,  but 
they  are  only  ten  or  fifteen  hundred  feet  high,"  con 
tinued  the  doctor. 

"  There  is  a  beautiful  island  in  the  middle  of  the 
river,"  added  Paul.  "  It  has  an  old  building  on  it. 
and  is  covered  with  trees." 

"  That  is  Nonnenwerth,  and  the  building  is  a  con 
vent.  Do  you  see  the  castle  on  the  left  bank,  opposite 
the  island?" 

"  I  see  it." 

"  You  must  read  Herr  Bernard's  Legends  of  the 
Rhine.  You  will  find  the  book  in  Cologne,  both  in 
German  and  in  English,  though  the  English  of  the 
latter  is  execrable.  You  will  find  in  it  the  story  of 
Rolandseck,  the  castle  on  the  left,  and  Nonnenwerth. 
Roland  was  the  nephew  of  Charlemagne.  He  was 
engaged  to  a  daughter  of  the  Lord  of  Drachenfels, 
whose  castle  you  see  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 
He  went  away  to  the  wars,  and  during  his  absence,  a 
false  report  came  back  that  he  was  killed  at  Ronces- 
valles.  His  betrothed,  in  despair,  entered  the  convent 
on  the  island,  and  took  the  black  veil.  Roland  re 
turned,  but  could  not  reclaim  the  bride.  He  built  the 
castle  on  the  left,  where  he  could  overlook  her  retreat, 
and  lived  the  lonely  life  of  a  hermit.  One  evening, 
while  he  was  gazing  down  upon  the  convent,  he  heard 
the  bell  toll,  and  saw  a  procession  of  nuns  escorting  a 
coffin  to  the  chapel.  His  page  soon  brought  him  the 
intelligence  that  his  lady  was  dead.  He  ordered  his 
horse  to  be  saddled  immediately,  and  hastened  to 
Spain,  where,  in  a  battle  with  the  Moors,  he  was 
killed," 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  313 

"Then  these  are  the  Drachenfels,  on  our  right," 
said  Grace. 

"  They  are  *  The  Castled  Crags  of  Drachenfels/  as 
Byron  sings.  From  the  top  of  this  precipice,  Cologne, 
twenty  miles  distant,  can  be  seen." 

"  And  that  large  town  is  Bonn,"  said  Paul. 

"  Yes;  the  electors  of  Cologne  —  not  the  city,  but 
the  electorate  — formerly  resided  here.  The  vast  pal 
ace  built  for  them  in  173°)  which  is  nearly  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  long,  is  now  used  by  the  University  of  Bonn, 
where  Prince  Albert,  Queen  Consort,  of  England, 
was  a  student.  The  city  has  about  twenty  thousand 
inhabitants,  and  is  a  very  beautiful  place.  When  I 
was  here,  six  years  ago,  I  went  out  about  a  mile  and 
a  half  to  a  church,  on  the  top  of  the  Kreuzberg.  It 
formerly  belonged  to  a  convent ;  and  in  a  chapel  be 
hind  the  high  altar  are  exhibited  what  are  called  the 
Sacred  Stairs,  which  led  up  to  Pilate's  judgment  hall. 
No  one  is  allowed  to  ascend  them  except  upon  his 
knees,  and  the  stains  of  blood  falling  from  the  wounds 
caused  by  the  Saviour's  crown  of  thorns  are  pointed 
out.  Those  believe  who  can  and  will.  There  is  a 
vault  under  the  church,  reached  by  a  trap-door  in  the 
floor,  which,  by  some  remarkable  property,  has  pre 
served  undecayed  the  bodies  of  twenty-rive  monks. 
They  lie  in  open  coffins,  clothed  in  cassocks  and  cowls. 
They  are  dried  up,  and  look  like  mummies.  Some  of 
them  were  buried  there  four  hundred  years  ago." 

"  What  a  horrible  sight !  "  exclaimed  the  sensitive 
Grace. 

"  I  did  not  see  anything  very  horrible  about  it,"  re 
plied  the  doctor,  with  a  smile ;  "  but  I  am  a  surgeon 


314  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

by  profession.  In  Italy  and  Sicily  there  are  many  such 
exhibitions  of  the  dead." 

Below  Bonn  the  banks  of  the  river  are  level,  or 
gently  undulating,  reminding  the  traveller  of  the  Del 
aware  above  Philadelphia.  The  scenery  is  pleasant, 
but  rather  tame  after  the  experience  of  the  Drachen- 
fels.  At  five  o'clock  the  steamer  reached  Cologne, 
and  passing  under  the  great  iron  bridge,  and  through 
the  bridge  of  boats,  made  her  landing  at  the  quay. 
The  Grand  Hotel  Royal,  in  which  accommodations 
had  been  engaged  for  the  tourists,  is  situated  on  the 
bank  of  the  river,  and  many  of  the  party  had  rooms 
which  overlooked  the  noble  stream.  There  is  no 
pleasanter  occupation  for  a  tired  person  than  that  of 
sitting  at  one  of  these  windows,  watching  the  flow  of 
the  river,  and  the  variety  of  scenes  which  its  surface 
presents. 

It  was  a  lively  scene  at  the  hotel  in  the  evening.  A 
few  of  the  students  took  a  walk  through  the  narrow 
streets ;  but  Cologne  is  not  a  pleasant  place  to  walk  in 
the  evening.  There  are  no  sidewalks,  and  some  of 
the  streets  are  not  wide  enough  to  allow  two  vehicles 
to  pass  abreast,  though  in  the  more  modern  parts  of 
the  place  this  defect  has  been  remedied.  The  Hotel 
Royal  has  broad  halls,  though  there  is  no  such  thing  as 
a  public  parlor,  where  the  guests  may  meet  together, 
as  in  American  hotels.  Captain  Shuffles  and  Lady 
Feodora  were  promenading,  while  Paul  and  Grace 
had  seated  themselves  in  the  coffee-room. 

"  I  suppose,  when  we  leave  Cologne,  we  shall  de 
part  in  different  directions,"  said  Shuffles. 

"  Papa  says  we  shall  go  direct  to  Calais,"  replied 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  315 

Feodora,  looking  very  sad,  as,  indeed,  she  felt  when 
she  thought  of  the  separation. 

"  I  believe  our  company  are  going  by  Charleroi  to 
Paris,  and  from  there  to  Brest.  Probably  we  shall 
never  meet  again." 

"  O,  I  hope  we  shall ! "  exclaimed  Feodora,  look 
ing  up  into  his  face. 

"  It  is  not  very  probable." 

"You  may  come  to  England  within  a  few  years, 
perhaps  a  few  months." 

"  It  is  possible.  If  I  come  out  in  the  ship  next 
spring,  we  shall  sail  up  the  Baltic,  and  make  our  first 
port  at  Christiansand,  in  Norway." 

"  I  am  afraid  you  don't  wish  to  meet  me  again." 

"  I  would  cross  the  ocean  for  that  alone,"  protested 
the  gallant  young  captain. 

"  If  you  wished  to  meet  me,  I  think  you  would  find 
a  way." 

"  Perhaps  I  ought  not  to  meet  you  again,"  added 
Shuffles. 

"  Not  meet  me  again  !     Pray  why  not?" 

"  Sir  William  very  much  prefers  that  I  should  not 
do  so." 

"  Sir  William ! "  repeated  she,  with  an  inquiring 
glance. 

"  I  think  he  does  not  like  my  company  very  well." 

"  I  do,  if  he  does  not." 

Shuffles  did  not  mention  to  her  that  he  had  con 
versed  with  the  baronet  about  the  matter,  and  that  the 
latter  had  used  some  rather  strong  language  to  him. 
He  was  not  disposed  to  make  trouble. 

"  I  have  some  idea    of  your  relations  with  Sir 


316  DOWN   THE   RHINE,  OR 

William,"  added  Shuffles,  with  considerable  embar 
rassment. 

"  I  haven't  any  relations  with  him,  Captain  Shuf 
fles,"  replied  she,  fixing  her  gaze  upon  the  floor,  while 
her  face  crimsoned  with  blushes. 

"  I  have  been  told  that  you  were  engaged." 

"  By  our  parents  —  yes.  By  myself —  no.  I  dislike 
Sir  William  very  much  indeed  ;  and  I  know  my  father 
will  never  do  anything  that  will  make  me  unhappy." 

"  Pardon  me  for  alluding  to  the  subject,"  said 
Shuffles. 

"  I  am  very  glad  you  spoke  of  it." 

"  I  should  not  have  done  so,  if  I  had  not  had  some 
doubts  about  seeing  you  again,  even  were  an  opportu 
nity  presented." 

"  Doubts  about  seeing  me?" 

"  I  mean  because  Sir  William  dislikes  me,"  stam 
mered  the  captain. 

"  He  ought  not  to  dislike  you,  after  what  you  have 
done  for  him  and  me." 

"  He  thinks  I  am  too  strong  a  friend  of  yours." 

"  I  don't  think  you  are.  Why,  you  saved  my  life, 
and  I  should  be  very  ungrateful  if  I  did  not  value  your 
friendship,"  replied  Feodora,  apparently  investigating 
the  texture  of  the  wood  of  which  the  floor  was  com 
posed. 

"  Then  you  value  ft  because  I  rendered  you  a  little 
service  on  the  lake,"  added  Shuffles. 

"  That  assured  me  you  were  very  brave  and  noble  ; 
and  I  am  sure  you  have  not  done  anything  since 
which  makes  me  think  less  of  you." 

"  You  are  very  kind ;  and  it  makes  me  have  the 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  317 

blues  to  think  of  parting  with  you,  perhaps  never  to 
see  or  hear  from  you  again.'* 

"  Won't  you  write  to  me,  as  Miss  Arbuckle  does  to 
the  commodore,  and  tell  me  about  your  travels,  and 
about  your  own  country,  when  you  return  ?  " 

"  It  would  be  a  great  satisfaction  to  me  to  have  the 
privilege  of  doing  so,"  said  Shuffles,  eagerly. 

"  I  should  prize  your  letters  above  all  others,"  she 
replied. 

"Will  your  father  allow  you  to  receive  them  from 
me?" 

"Why  should  he  not?" 

"  On  account  of  Sir  William." 

"  My  father  is  one  of  the  best  and  kindest  men  in 
the  world,  and  he  loves  me  with  all  his  great  soul. 
He  has  even  told  me  that  I  might  dismiss  Sir  William, 
when  we  return  to  England,  if  I  found  it  impossible  to 
like  him,"  answered  Feodora,  artlessly  ;  and  English 
girls  speak  on  such  subjects  with  less  reserve  than 
American  damsels. 

"  Here  comes  Sir  William.  I  shall  write  to  you  at 
the  first  opportunity  after  we  separate." 

The  baronet  had  been  out  to  smoke  ;  for  young  as 
he  was,  he  had  already  formed  this  habit,  which  was 
one  of  Lady  Feodora's  strong  objections  to  him,  —  he 
gave  forth  such  an  odor  of  tobacco.  He  frowned  and 
looked  savage  when  he  saw  the  young  couple  to 
gether  ;  but  they  continued  their  promenade  in  the 
hall,  though  they  changed  the  subject  of  the  conver 
sation. 

"Good  evening,  Sir  William,"  said  Ben  Duncan, 
the  inveterate  joker,  who  saw  the  effect  produced  by 


318  DOWN   THE   RHINE,   OR 

the  coming  of  the  baronet,  and  wished  to  relieve  the 
young  couple  of  his  company. 

"  Good  evening,  sir,"  replied  the  baronet,  stiffly  ;  for 
he  was  not  disposed  to  be  on  very  familiar  terms  with 
the  young  republicans. 

"A  friend  of  mine  at  the  Gas-house — " 

"  At  the  what?"  demanded  Sir  William,  with  a 
look  of  contempt. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon.  I  mean  the  Gasthaus.  But 
there  were  two  or  three  English  nobs  there  who  were 
so  gassy  in  their  style,  that  I  forgot  my  Deutch  for 
the  moment.  A  friend  of  mine  at  the  Gasthaus,  am 
Hollandischer  /&/",  expressed  a  strong  desire  to  see 
you." 

"  Indeed !  What  friend  of  yours  could  desire  to 
see  me?" 

"  Well,  I  call  him  Elfinstone.  If  I  were  more  polite 
than  I  am,  I  should  say  Lord  Elfinstone  ;  but  he's  just 
as  good  a  fellow  as  though  he  were  not  a  lord." 

"  Is  it  possible  that  Lord  Elfinstone  is  in  Cologne?  " 
added  the  baronet. 

"  Do  you  know  him  ?  " 

"  I  have  not  that  honor." 

"  I  have.  I  used  to  sail  him  in  my  father's  yacht, 
when  he  was  in  New  York,"  replied  Ben ;  who,  how 
ever,  under  any  other  circumstances,  would  not  have 
troubled  himself  to  make  the  young  nobles  better  ac 
quainted.  "  I  will  introduce  you,  if  you  like." 

"  Thank  you,"  answered  the  baronet,  with  a  prompt 
ness  which  indicated  that  he  appreciated  the  honor  in 
store  for  him.  "  I  shall  be  under  great  obligations  to 
you." 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  319 

Taking  the  arm  of  Ben  Duncan,  who  had  suddenly 
risen  in  the  estimation  of  Sir  "William,  because  he  was 
on  familiar  terms  with  so  distinguished  a  young  gen 
tleman  as  Lord  Elfmstone,  they  left  the  hotel,  very 
much  to  the  satisfaction  of  Shuffles  and  Feodora. 

u  Perhaps  there  is  another  objection  to  our  meeting 
again,  or  at  least  to  permitting  a  friendship  to  grow 
up  between  us,"  said  Shuffles,  continuing  the  subject. 

"  What  can  there  be?  "  asked  Feodora. 

"  You  belong  to  the  nobility  of  England,  while  I  am 
only  the  son  of  a  Republican  American." 

"  A  fig  for  the  nobility  ! "  exclaimed  she.  "  They 
are  just  like  other  people." 

"  I  think  so  myself,"  replied  Shuffles  ;  "  but  there  is 
some  difference  of  opinion  on  that  subject." 

Sir  William  was  duly  presented  to  Lord  Elfinstone, 
at  the  Hollandischer  Hof,  and  they  did  not  part  till  after 
nine  o'clock  ;  so  the  young  couple  had  the  evening  all 
to  themselves.  After  the  ice  was  broken,  they  proba 
bly  made  some  progress  in  establishing  a  friendship  ; 
but  as  it  is  not  fair  to  listen  to  such  conversations,  it 
cannot  be  reported.  The  earl  and  his  lady  did  not 
interfere,  whatever  they  thought  of  the  confidential 
relations  which  appeared  to  be  gaining  strength  be 
tween  the  captain  and  their  daughter,  and  they  sepa 
rated  only  when  it  was  time  to  retire. 

After  breakfast  the  next  morning,  Professor  Mapps 
had  something  to  say  about  Cologne,  and  with  the 
consent  of  Herr  Deitzman,  the  landlord,  it  was  said  in 
the  coffee-room. 

"  As  many  of  you  do  not  study  German,  you  would 
not  know  what  was  meant  by  the  name-  of  the  city  if 


320  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

you  saw  it  printed  in  that  language,"  the  professor  be 
gan.  "  It  is  written  Koln,  with  the  umlant,  or  diaeresis, 
over  the  vowel,  which  gives  it  a  sound  similar  to,  but 
not  the  same  as,  the  e  in  the  word  met.  It  is  the  third 
city  of  Prussia,  Berlin  and  Breslau  alone  being  larger, 
and  has  a  population  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  thou 
sand.  On  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Rhine  is  Deutz, 
with  which  Cologne  is  connected  by  an  iron  bridge 
and  by  a  bridge  of  boats.  The  former  is  a  grand 
structure,  and  worthy  of  your  attention. 

"  Cologne  was  originally  a  colony  of  Rome,  from 
which  comes  its  name.  Portions  of  walls  built  by  the 
Romans  will  be  pointed  out  to  you,  and  in  the  Mu 
seum  are  many  relics  of  the  same  ancient  origin. 
Agrippina,  the  mother  of  Nero,  was  born  here,  her 
father,  the  Emperor  Germanicus,  being  a  resident  of 
Cologne  at  the  time.  Trajan  was  here  when  he  was 
called  to  the  throne.  Clbvis  was  declared  king  of  the 
Franks  at  Cologne.  In  the  fourteenth  century  it  was 
the  most  flourishing  city  of  Northern  Europe,  and  one 
of  the  principal  depots  of  the  Hanseatic  League,  of 
which  I  spoke  to  you  on  a  former  occasion.  It  was 
called  the  Rome  of  the  North,  and  many  Italian  cus 
toms,  such  as  the  carnival,  are  still  retained  in  Cologne, 
though  in  no  other  city  of  this  part  of  Europe.  Sev 
eral  causes  —  the  principal  of  which  was  the  closing 
of  the  Rhine  by  the  Dutch  in  the  sixteenth  century  — 
nearly  destroyed  the  commercial  importance  of  the 
place  ;  but  the  river  was  opened  in  1837,  and  the  city 
is  now  growing  rapidly. 

"  One  of  the  principal  objects  of  interest  in  Cologne 
is  the  great  cathedral,  called  in  German  the  Domkirche. 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN    GERMANY.  321 

It  is  one  of  the  largest  churches  in  the  world,  and  if 
completed  on  the  original  plan,  it  will  rival  St.  Peter's 
at  Rome.  It  is  five  hundred  and  eleven  feet  long  by 
two  hundred  and  thirty-one  feet  wide.  The  choir  is 
one  hundred  and  sixty-one  feet  high.  It  has  two  towers 
in  process  of  erection,  which  will  be  five  hundred  feet 
high,  if  they  are  ever  completed.  It  was  commenced 
in  the  year  1248,  and  the  work  went  on,  with  occa 
sional  interruptions,  till  about  a  hundred  years  ago, 
when  it  was  suspended  by  war.  Frederick  William, 
King  of  Prussia,  on  his  accession  to  the  throne,  caused 
the  work  to  be  resumed  ;  and  it  required  years  of  labor 
and  vast  sums  of  money  to  make  the  needed  repairs, 
for  the  structure  was  a  ruin  even  while  it  was  unfin 
ished.  An  association  has  been  formed  to  insure  its 
completion,  and  the  present  king,  as  well  as  his  pred 
ecessor,  has  contributed  large  sums  of  money. 

"  As  you  came  down  the  river,  you  saw  the  huge 
crane  on  the  summit  of  one  of  the  towers,  used  to 
hoist  up  stone  and  other  materials.  It  has  been  there 
for  hundreds  of  years.  When  it  became  insecure  by 
years  of  decay,,  it  was  taken  down  ;  but  a  tremendous 
thunder-storm,  which  occurred  soon  after,  was  inter 
preted  by  the  superstitious  citizens  as  a  wrathful  pro 
test  of  the  Deity  at  its  removal,  indicating  that  the 
people  did  not  intend  to  complete  the  work,  and  it 
was  repaired  and  restored  to  its  original  position.  Not 
less  than  twenty  years,  with  the  utmost  diligence,  will 
be  required  to  finish  the  building,  and  five  millions 
of  dollars  is  the  estimated  expense." 

When  the  professor  finished  his  lecture,  the  excur 
sionists  organized  themselves  into  little  parties  to  see 
21 


323  DOWN    THE   RHINE,    OR 

the  sights.  As  the  unruly  elements  of  the  squadron 
were  all  in  the  Josephine,  the  students  were  per 
mitted  to  go  when  and  where  they  pleased.  The 
Blankvilles  and  the  Arbuckles,  with  Shuffles  and 
Paul,  hastened  to  the  cathedral,  as  it  was  but  a  short 
distance  from  the  hotel.  Sir  William  was  not  in  at 
tendance,  being  engaged  with  Lord  Elfinstone.  Dr. 
Winstock,  as  usual,  did  much  of  the  talking,  being 
entirely  familiar  with  all  the  localities  and  traditions 
of  the  city. 

The  Domhof,  or  square  in  which  the  cathedral 
stands,  is  partly  filled  with  rude  sheds,  in  which  the 
stone  for  the  building  is  hewn,  and  much  of  the 
space  around  the  grand  structure  is  covered  with 
stone.  Entering  the  church,  the  party  walked  to 
the  middle  of  the  choir.  Its  vast  height,  its  lofty  col 
umns,  its  arches,  chapels,  and  richly-colored  windows 
filled  them  with  awe  and  amazement.  It  was  the 
most  magnificent  sight  they  had  ever  beheld,  and  with 
one  consent  they  were  silent  as  they  gazed  upon  the 
architectural  glories  of  the  structure.  They  were  in 
terrupted  very  soon,  however,  by  the  appearance  of 
an  official  in  the  livery  of  the  church,  who  presented 
a  salver  for  contributions  for  the  completion  of  the 
building.  The  earl  and  Mr.  Arbuckle  each  gave  a 
napoleon,  and  other  members  of  the  party  gave  small 
sums.  The  gold  won  the  heart  of  the  official,  and  he 
was  ve'ry  polite. 

Having  observed  the  effect  as  a  whole,  the  tourists 
proceeded  to  examine  the  church  in  detail.  Behind 
the  high  altar  is  the  shrine  of  the  Three  Kings  of  Co 
logne.  They  are  represented  as  the  Magi,  who  came 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN    GERMANY.  323 

from  the  east  with  presents  for  the  infant  Saviour. 
Their  bodies  are  said  to  have  been  brought  by  the 
Empress  Helena,  mother  of  Constantine  the  Great, 
from  the  Holy  Land  to  Constantinople,  and  then  sent 
to  Milan ;  and  when  this  city  was  captured  by 
the  Emperor  Frederick,  he  presented  them  to  the 
Archbishop  of  Cologne,  who  placed  them  in  the  prin 
cipal  church.  They  have  always  been  cherished  with 
the  greatest  veneration ;  were  enclosed  in  costly  cas 
kets,  and  adorned  with  gold  and  silver  of  immense 
value,  though  these  have  been  mostly  purloined,  or 
otherwise  appropriated.  The  skulls  of  the  three  kings 
are  inscribed  with  their  names,  in  rubies :  Caspar, 
Melchior,  and  Balthazar.  Those  who  show  the 
tomb  of  the  Magi  say  its  treasures  are  still  worth  a 
million  of  dollars ;  but  people  who  go  to  see  sights 
must  see  them. 

Near  the  shrine  is  a  slab  in  the  pavement,  beneath 
which  is  buried  the  heart  of  Marie  de  Medicis,  wife 
of  Henry  IV.,  of  France,  her  body  having  been  sent 
to  France.  In  various  parts  of  the  church  are  ancient 
and  valuable  paintings,  in  several  of  which  the  Magi 
are  introduced.  The  story  of  the  Three  Kings  is  a 
cherished  tradition  in  several  of  the  cities  of  this  part 
of  Europe,  and  hotels  and  other  public  edifices  have 
been  named  for  them. 

Passing  out  of  the  church,  the  party  walked  around 
it,  in  order  to  obtain  a  complete  view  of  the  exterior, 
whose  grandeur  can  hardly  be  overrated,  even  by  the 
enthusiast  in  architectural  beauty.  At  a  bookstore  in 
the  Domhof  the  party  purchased  some  views  of  the 
cathedral. 


324  DOWN   THE   RHINE,   OR 

"  I  suppose  the  ladies  will  want  some  cologne,  if 
the  gentlemen  do  not,"  said  Dr.  Winstock,  with  a 
smile. 

"  I  want  some,"  added  Paul.  "  My  mother  will  be 
delighted  with  a  bottle  of  cologne  from  Cologne  itself." 

"  The  reputation  of  the  article  is  world-wide,  and 
I  suppose  many  fortunes  have  been  made  in  the  trade. 
Farina  was  the  original  inventor,  and  there  are  not 
less  than  twenty-four  establishments  in  this  city  which 
claim  to  be  the  rightful  owners  of  the  receipt  for  the 
pure  article.  I  see  that  Murray  and  Fetridge  both 
award  to  Jean  Marie  Farina  the  glory  of  being  the 
right  one." 

"  The  original  Jacobs,"  laughed  Paul. 

"  Yes.  His  place  is  opposite  the  Julich's  Platz  ; 
and  after  we  have  been  to  the  Churches  of  St.  Cunibert 
and  St.  Ursula,  we  will  call  upon  him.  There  is  a 
cologne  shop,"  added  the  surgeon,  as  he  pointed  to 
the  opposite  side  of  the  Domhof.  "  I  bought  some 
there  once,  and  I  found  it  very  good." 

There  are  half  a  dozen  churches  in  Cologne  from 
six  to  eight  hundred  years  old,  and  our  party  looked 
at  them  with  interest.  The  church  of  St.  Ursula  and 
the  Eleven  Thousand  Virgins  presented  to  them  a  very 
remarkable  display.  The  saint  went  from  Brittany  to 
Rome  with  her  virgin  band.  On  their  return  by  way 
of  the  Rhine,  they  were  all  massacred  at  Cologne  by 
the  savage  Huns.  The  remains  of  the  saint  and  her 
companions  have  been  gathered  together,  and  en 
shrined  in  this  church.  The  bones  are  buried  under 
the  pavement,  displayed  in  the  walls,  or  exhibited  in 
glass  cases.  St.  Ursula  herself  lies  in  a  coffin,  and 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  325 

near  her  are  the  skulls  of  some  of  her  preferred  com 
panions.  The  chains  of  St.  Peter,  and  one  of  the 
clay  vessels  which  held  the  wine  of  Cana,  are  also 
exhibited. 

Before  dinner  time,  the  party  reached  the  Julich's 
Platz,  where  the  original  cologne  shop  is  located.  A 
blast  of  the  vapor  of  the  fragrant  water  was  blown  in 
each  of  their  faces  by  the  aid  of  a  machine  made  for 
the  purpose,  and  each  one  bought  a  supply  of  the 
genuine  article. 

In  the  afternoon  the  same  party  visited  the  house 
in  the  Sternengasse,  in  which  Rubens  was  born  and 
Marie  de  Medicis  died.  There  were  objects  of  interest 
enough  in  the  city  to  occupy  the  attention  of  the  ex 
cursionists  till  night. 

"  Do  you  find  Cologne  a  very  dirty  city?"  said  tho 
doctor,  as  they  were  returning  to  the  hotel. 

"  Rather  so  in  the  old  market-place,"  replied  Mr. 
Arbuckle.  u  As  a  whole,  I  don't  think  it  is  any  dirtier 
than  most  of  the  cities  of  Europe." 

"  That  is  just  my  view.  I  find  that  all  the  guide-, 
books  and  all  the  works  of  travel  insist  upon  inserting 
and  indorsing  Coleridge's  lines  on  the  subject." 

"What  are  the  lines?"  asked  Paul. 

Dr.  Winstock  took  his  guide-book  and  read, — 

"  Ye  nymphs  who  reign  o'er  sewers  and  sinks, 
The  River  Rhine,  it  is  well-known, 
Doth  wash  your  city  of  Cologne  ; 
But  tell  me,  nymphs,  what  power  divine 
Shall  henceforth  wash  the  River  Rhine." 

"  I  protest  that  it  is  a  slander,  whatever  it  may  have, 
been  in  former  times." 


326  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

The  next  morning  the  tourists  took  the  train  for 
Dusseldorf,  where  they  spent  the  forenoon  in  examin 
ing  the  pictures  of  the  School  of  Art,  which  has  its 
headquarters  in  this  place,  and  in  a  walk  through  the 
beautiful  Hofgarten.  From  this  place  a  ride  of  two 
hours  brought  the  party  to  Aix-la-Chapelle,  where 
they  dined  at.  the  Hotel  Grand  Monarque. 

"  Aix-la-Chapelle  was  the  birth-place  of  Charle 
magne,  who  also  died  here,"  said  Professor  Mapps,  af 
ter  dinner.  "  The  German  name  of  the  city  is  Aachen, 
which  is  derived  from  Aachs,  meaning  a  spring. 
There  are  several  warm  medicinal  springs  here,  which 
have  a  considerable  reputation  for  their  curative  prop 
erties.  The  city  is  called  Aix-la-Chapelle  from  the 
chapel  which  Charlemagne  built.  From  him  the 
place  derived  its  chief  importance.  He  raised  it  to 
the  rank  of  the  second  city  in  his  empire,  made  it 
the  capital  of  all  his  dominions  north  of  the  Alps, 
and  decreed  that  the  sovereigns  of  Germany  and  of 
the  Romans  should  be  crowned  here.  Between  814 
and  1531,  the  coronations  of  thirty-seven  kings  and 
emperors  took  place  here. 

"  It  has  been  the  scene  of  many  Diets  and  church 
councils,  and  in  modern  times  several  treaties  have 
been  signed  here." 

The  excursionists  left  the  hotel  and  walked  to  the 
cathedral,  which  is  probably  the  oldest  church  in  Ger 
many.  This  is  the  chapel  for  which  the  city  is  named, 
and  was  intended  by  Charlemagne  as  his  burial-place. 
It  was  consecrated  by  Pope  Leo  III.,  assisted  by  three 
hundred  and  sixty-five  archbishops  and  bishops.  It 
was  partially  destroyed  by  barbarians,  but  was  rebuilt 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  327 

by  the  Emperor  Otho  III.,  and  much  of  the  primi 
tive  structure  still  remains.  Under  the  centre  of  the 
dome  is  a  marble  slab  in  the  floor  on  which  are  the 
words  CAROLO  MAGNO,  indicating  the  spot  where  the 
tomb  of  Charlemagne  was  located.  It  was  probably 
a  little  chapel  above  ground.  It  was  opened  in  1165, 
and  the  body  was  found  sitting  on  a  throne,  clothed 
in  imperial  robes,  a  sceptre  in  the  hand,  and  a  copy 
of  the  Gospels  on  the  knee.  The  crown  was  on  thv/ 
bony  brow,  and  his  sword  and  other  articles  near  him. 
All  these  relics  were  subsequently  used  at  the  corona 
tion  of  the  emperors,  but  are  now  kept  at  Vienna, 
except  the  throne,  which  is  still  here. 

The  church  has  an  abundance  of  relics,  including 
the  skull  and  arm-bone  of  Charlemagne,  though  the 
latter  has,  unfortunately,  turned  out  to  be  a  leg-bone  ! 
It  is  said  that  the  rest  of  the  bones  of  his  body  were 
found  here  in  a  chest  in  a  dark  closet ;  but  we  are  not 
told  by  what  means  they  were  identified.  If  some  of 
the  apostles,  martyrs,  and  worthies  of  the  past  had 
had  a  dozen  skulls  each,  sight-seers  might  be  more 
credulous.  There  are  also  in  this  church  a  lock  of  the 
Virgin's  hair,  the  leathern  girdle  of  Christ  with  the 
seal  of  Constantine  upon  it,  a  nail  of  the  cross,  the 
sponge  which  was  filled  with  vinegar  for  the  Sa 
viour,  blood  and  bones  of  St.  Stephen,  and  bits  of 
Aaron's  rod. 

In  addition  to  these  precious  articles,  the  cathedral 
has  what  are  called  the  Grand  Relics,  which  are 
shown  only  once  in  seven  years,  and  then  for  but  two 
weeks.  At  the  exhibition  in  1860,  half  a  million  peo 
ple  resorted  to  Aix  to  see  them.  Charlemagne  re- 


328  DOWN    THE    RHINE,    OR 

ceived  them  direct  from  the  Patriarch  of  Jerusalem, 
and  from  Haroun-al-Raschid.  They  are  enclosed  in 
a  shrine  of  silver-gilt,  of  the  workmanship  of  the 
ninth  century.  There  are  four  principal  articles : 
The  cotton  robe,  five  feet  long,  worn  by  the  Virgin 
at  the  Nativity ;  the  swaddling  clothes,  of  a  coarse 
yellow  cloth  like  sacking,  in  which  the  infant  Sa 
viour  was  wrapped ;  the  cloth  on  which  the  head  of 
John  the  Baptist  was  laid ;  and  the  scarf  worn  by  the 
Saviour,  at  the  crucifixion,  which  bears  the  stains  of 
blood.  Other  articles,  such  as  religious  emblems,  are 
doubtless  of  great  antiquity. 

The  party  visited  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  on  the  spot 
where  stood  the  palace  of  the  Frankish  kings,  in 
which  Charlemagne  was  born.  This  was  the  last  sight 
to  be  seen  in  regular  course,  and  the  last  city  in  Ger 
many  which  the  tourists  were  to  visit  that  season.  It 
had  been  put  to  vote  whether  the  company  would 
remain  in  Aix  over  Sunday,  or  make  a  night  trip 
to  Paris,  and  the  latter  had  been  almost  unanimously 
adopted.  Captain  Shuffles  voted  against  it,  because 
the  earl's  party  were  to  remain  till  Monday ;  but  he 
gracefully  yielded,  and  the  tourists  left  at  eight  o'clock. 
Lady  Feodora  was  very  sad,  and  so  was  Shuffles  — 
Sir  William  was  very  glad.  His  lordship  was  kind 
enough  to  hope  that  the  acquaintance  thus  begun 
would  be  continued  by  letter,  if  not  possible  in  any 
other  way. 

The  excursionists  were  in  Paris  at  eight  o'clock 
the  next  morning,  and  most  of  them  had  slept  very 
well  in  the  cars.  They  were  allowed  to  attend  such 
churches  as  they  pleased,  and  while  some  heard  the 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  329 

fine  singing  in  St.  Roch,  others  listened  to  Mass  in 
Notre  Dame,  while  not  a  few  attended  at  the  Ameri 
can  Chapel. 

On  Monday  forenoon,  after  breakfast  had  been 
disposed  of  in  the  Hotel  du  Louvre,  Mr.  Arbuckle 
requested  all  the  students  to  assemble  in  the  grand 
dining-room.  When  they  were  all  in  the  apartment, 
their  kind  and  liberal  friend  rose,  and  was  received 
with  hearty  applause. 

"  Young  gentlemen,  I  thank  you  for  this  kindly 
greeting,"  said  he.  "  I  shall  never  forget  the  debt  of 
gratitude  I  owe  you,  and  I  hope,  when  your  squadron 
goes  up  the  Baltic,  you  will  put  into  Belfast  on  your 
way.  It  has  afforded  me  very  great  pleasure  to  con 
tribute  something  to  your  instruction  and  amusement, 
and  I  most  sincerely  regret  that  we  must  part  to-day. 
For  myself  and  my  family  I  thank  you  for  all  you 
have  done  for  us." 

Mr.  Arbuckle  paused,  and  Mr.  Lowington,  for  the 
ship's  company,  thanked  him  for  his  liberal  hospitali 
ty,  and  assured  him  that  "all  hands"  would  remem 
ber  him  and  his  family  as  long  as  they  lived. 

"  I  thank  you,  Mr.  Lowington  ;  you  are  very  kind," 
continued  Mr.  Arbuckle.  "  Allow  me  to  speak  a 
word  now  for  my  daughter,  the  Grand  Protectress  of 
the  Order^of  the  Faithful.  Some  of  the  young  gentle 
men  were  saying  something  about  perpetuating  the 
association  formed  on  our  voyage  from  Havre  to  Brest, 
and  Grace  desired  me  to  provide  a  suitable  emblem 
for  that  purpose.  I  took  the  liberty,  when  we  reached 
Paris,  nearly  three  weeks  since,  to  order  a  sufficient 


330  DOWN   THE   RHINE,   OR 

number  of  badges  for  all  the  members  ;  and  this  morn 
ing  I  obtained  them.  They  are  very  neat,  and  I  hope 
they  will  please  you." 

He  held  up  one  of  the  emblems. 

"  It  is  a  gold  anchor,  with  a  star  upon  it,"  continued 
Mr.  Arbuckle.  "  The  word  FAITHFUL  is  inscribed 
upon  it.  Grace  will  be  happy  now  to  present  it  to 
each  member  of  the  order." 

The  students  applauded  lustily,  and  one  by  one 
they  passed  before  her,  and  she  attached  the  badge, 
which  was  made  like  a  breastpin,  to  the  coats  of  the 
members,  over  the  white  ribbons.  They  were  ad 
monished  always  to  wear  them,  and  always  to  be 
faithful.  The  Grand  Protectress  was  warmly  cheered 
by  the  boys,  when  the  ceremony  was  concluded.  The 
hour  of  parting  had  come,  for  the  ship's  company  was 
to  return  to  Brest,  while  the  Arbuckles  proceeded  to 
London.  There  was  a  general  shaking  of  hands, 
and  a  general  exchanging  of  kind  words.  Paul  and 
Grace  found  the  occasion  a  very  trying  one.  What 
promises  they  made  to  each  other  need  not  be  re 
peated. 

The  Arbuckles  attended  the  party  to  the  station, 
and  when  the  last  words  of  farewell  had  been  spo 
ken,  the  train  moved  off.  The  excitement  of  the  ex 
cursion  was  ended,  and  the  ride  to  Brest  was  rather 
dull.  The  buoyant  spirit  of  youth,  however,  soon 
furnished  a  new  hope,  and  they  now  looked  eagerly 
forward  to  the  meeting  of  dear  friends  at  home.  The 
train  arrived  at  Brest  in  the  evening,  and  the  stu 
dents  slept  that  night  in  their  berths  on  board  the  ship. 


YOUNG    AMERICA    IN   GERMANY.  331 

The  next  morning  the  Young  America  sailed  for 
Lisbon.  She  did  not  make  so  quick  a  passage  as 
the  Josephine  hacf  made,  and  after  a  three  days' 
run,  dropped  anchor  in  the  Tagus ;  but  the  consort 
had  not  yet  arrived. 


33 3  DOWN  THE   RHINE,   OR 


CHAPTER  XX. 

HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

THE  moon  shone  brightly  on  the  deserted  deck  of 
the  Josephine  after  the  runaways  had  departed 
in  the  four  boats,  —  deserted  by  all  save  Bitts,  who 
was  endeavoring  to  free  himself  from  the  rope  by  which 
he  had  been  secured.  Before  the  conspirators  had 
gone  a  cable's  length,  he  succeeded.  Reaching  the 
rope  over  his  head,  he  went  up,  hand  over  hand,  till 
he  had  slack  enough  to  make  a  bight  for  one  of  his 
feet.  Then,  holding  on  with  one  hand,  he  loosed  the 
rope  from  his  neck  with  the  other,  and  descended  to 
the  deck. 

Rogues  always  overreach  themselves.  Phillips  had 
intended  to  secure  the  arms  of  his  prisoner  by  wind 
ing  a  line  around  his  body,  but,  considering  him  safe 
without  it,  he  had  neglected  to  do  so.  If  he  had  done 
this,  the  runaways  might  have  reached  the  shore  be 
fore  any  one  could  come  to  the  aid  of  the  sufferer.  He 
was  free  in  three  minutes  after  Phillips  left  him.  The 
boats  were  pulling  for  the  shore,  and  those  below  were 
laboring  to  release  themselves  from  their  imprison 
ment.  He  went  to  the  companion  way,  and  tried  to 
open  it ;  but  the  nail  held  it  fast.  Descending  to  the 
steerage,  he  removed  the  handspike  with*  which  the 
cabin  door  was  fastened. 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN   GERMANY.  333 

"  What  does  all  this  mean  ?  "  demanded  Mr.  Flux 
ion,  as  he  hastened  on  deck. 

"  The  boys  have  taken  all  the  boats,  and  left  the  ves 
sel,"  replied  Bitts. 

"  Left  the  vessel !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Fluxion.  "  Were 
you  asleep  on  deck?" 

"  No,  sir.  Half  a  dozen  of  them  hung  me  by  the 
neck  till  I  was  nearly  choked  to  death,"  pleaded  the 
carpenter. 

"Where  was  Cleats?" 

"  I  stepped  below  for  half  a  minute,  and  they  clapped 
the  slide  on  over  me,"  answered  Cleats,  very  sheep 
ishly. 

"  You  stepped  below  !  I  ordered  you  not  to  leave 
the  deck,"  added  the  vice-principal,  angrily.  "  You 
are  responsible  for  this." 

"  I  did  not  think  the  young  rascals  would  do  such  a 
thing  as  this,"  pleaded  the  culprit. 

"  I  did ;  and  I  told  you  they  would  do  anything. 
You  have  disobeyed  my  orders.  Take  the  helm, 
Gage." 

Mr.  Fluxion  glanced  at  the  boats,  and  gave  a  few 
hasty  orders,  by  which  the  Josephine  was  headed  to 
wards  the  shore.  The  cooks  and  stewards  in  the  fore 
castle  were  released,  and  the  chase  commenced. 

"  I  did  not  think  they  were  quite  so  bold  as  this," 
said  Dr.  Carboy. 

"  They  will  do  anything.  Cleats  thinks  more  of  his 
stomach  than  of  his  duty,  or  it  would  not  have  hap 
pened,"  replied  Mr.  Fluxion.  "  I  have  seen  the  boys 
talking  together  a  great  deal  on  this  cruise,  and  I  was 
sure  something  was  brewing.  I  charged  all  the  offi- 


334  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

cers  not  to  leave  the  deck  for  a  single  instant.  Proba 
bly  the  young,  rascals  have  been  watching  for  this 
opportunity  during  the  whole  cruise." 

"  It  is   a  very  foolish   movement   on    their  part," 
added  Dr.  Carboy. 

"  Yet  if  they  had  kept  us  in  the  cabin  half  an  hour 
longer,  it  might  have  succeeded,  for  the  boats  would 
have  been  out  of  sight.  If  they  had  tied  Bitts's  arms 
behind  him,  it  might  have  been  half  an  hour  before 
we  could  have  broken. out  of  the  cabin." 

Mr.  Fluxion  questioned  the  watch  officers  very 
closely  in  regard  to  the  conduct  of  the  crew  on  deck, 
and  he  soon  understood  the  whole  matter.  He  was 
very  severe  upon  Cleats  for  leaving  the  deck,  declared 
that  he  could  not  be  trusted,  and  that  he  should  be 
discharged.  The  latter  was  very  humble,  acknowl 
edged  his  error,  and  made  no  attempt  to  palliate  it. 
He  had  always  been  faithful,  so  far  as  was  known,  and 
probably  had  never  been  guilty  of  any  graver  offence 
than  that  of  leaving  the  deck  for  a  few  minutes  during 
his  watch.  But  he  had  been  expressly  cautioned  not 
to  do  this,  and  had  sent  a  hand  below  for  his  lunch, 
until  the  present  time. 

In  the  boats  the  runaways  were  pulling  with  all 
their  might  to  get  out  of  sight  of  the  Josephine  before 
the  officers  should  set  themselves  at  liberty.  Perth 
urged  the  oarsmen  in  the  captain's  gig  to  the  most  tre 
mendous  exertion.  But  in  less  than  ten  minutes,  and 
before  they  had  made  a  single  mile,  they  saw  the  Jose 
phine  fill  away,  and  stand  towards  them. 

"  Did  you  fasten  Bitts?  "  said  Perth,  to  Phillips,  who 
was  in  the  gig  with  him. 


YOUNG  AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  335 

"  I  did.  v  He  couldn't  get  away,  I  know,"  replied 
Phillips. 

"  They  are  after  us,  and  I'm  afraid  the  game  is  up," 
added  Perth.  u  The  Josephine  can  make  two  knots 
to  our  one  in  this  breeze." 

The  leader  was  very  anxious  for  the  result.  The 
plan  had  really  failed  because  the  officers  had  released 
themselves  so  much  sooner  than  was  expected.  But 
Perth  hoped  to  make  it  partially  successful.  Standing 
up  in  the  gig,  he  ordered  the  other  boats  to  separate, 
so  that  the  Josephine  could  not  capture  them  all  at 
once.  He  directed  the  first  cutter  to  pull  to  the  north 
west,  while  the  gig  went  to  the  south-west,  and  the  sec 
ond  and  third  cutters  were  to  take  intermediate  points. 
The  Josephine  was  headed  to  the  north-west,  with  the 
evident  intention  of  getting  between  the  boats  and  the 
shore.  The  second  cutter  would  therefore  be  her  first 
victim  ;  and  Perth  hoped  that,  by  the  time  she  had 
picked  up  the  other  three  boats,  his  own  would  be  in 
shoal  water,  where  a  schooner  of  her  tonnage  could 
not  come. 

Little  was  in  command  of  the  first  cutter.  He 
obeyed  the  order  of  Perth,  though  he  saw  it  would  be 
a  losing  game  for  his  boat.  In  less  than  half  an  hour 
the  Josephine  came  up  with  him.  The  wind  was  due 
east,  which  gave  the  vessel  every  advantage,  and  she 
came  about  under  the  lee  of  the  cutter. 

"Hold  water!  Back  her!"  shouted  Little,  who 
had  prepared  his  plan  of  operations,  and  intended  to 
pull  dead  to  windward  of  her,  so  that  she  would  have 
to  go  in  stays  before  she  could  come  up  with  the  boat 
again. 


336  DOWN   THE    RHINE,    OR 

Peaks  spoiled  his  plan  by  throwing  a  boat  grapnel 
into  the  fore-sheets  of  the  cutter,  and  hauling  her 
alongside  of  the  Josephine  as  her  sails  shook  in  the 
wind.  Cleats  dropped  into  the  boat,  and,  leaping  aft, 
seized  Little  by  the  collar.  Gage  followed  him,  and 
ten  of  the  runaways  were  captured.  Mr.  Fluxion 
ordered  them  on  board  the  vessel,  and  the  two  men  in 
the  boat  expedited  their  movements  by  some  rather 
rough  usage. 

The  vice-principal  said  nothing  to  the  discomfited 
crew  of  the  first  cutter,  but  gave  his  orders  to  chase 
the  second  cutter.  As  the  Josephine  approached  her, 
Peaks  and  Gage,  with  two  of  the  stewards,  were  sent 
off  in  the  first  cutter  as  the  vessel  lay  to.  They 
grappled  the  boat,  and  as  no  one  thought  of  resisting 
Peaks,  they  were  readily  captured,  and  driven  upon 
the  deck  of  the  schooner.  The  third  cutter  was  taken 
with  no  more  difficulty.  A  few  moments  later,  the 
Josephine  luffed  up  under  the  lee  of  the  gig,  having 
towed  the  first  cutter,  in  which  the  four  men  were 
seated,  to  this  position.  The  boat  pulled  towards  the 
runaways.  Perth  was  desperate  when  he  saw  how 
easily  he  was  to  be  captured. 

"  Bat  them  over  the  head  with  your  oars,  fel 
lows  !  "  shouted  he.  "  Don't  let  them  take  you  !  " 

The  oarsmen  attempted  to  obey  this  order,  and  to 
beat  off  their  pursuers.  A  brief  struggle  ensued,  in 
which  Perth  and  Phillips  fought  with  desperation ; 
but  Peaks  succeeded  in  getting  into  the  gig,  and  the 
strife  was  ended.  With  a  blow  of  his  fist  the  stal 
wart  boatswain  justified  the  traditions  of  himself,  and 
Perth  was  knocked  senseless  in  the  bottom  of  the 


YOUNG   AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  337 

boat,  while  Phillips,  with  a  bleeding  face,  yielded  the 
day.  The  runaways  in  the  gig  were  driven  to  the 
deck,  as  their  companions  had  been,  while  Perth  was 
handed  up  by  the  grim  Peaks,  put  in  his  berth,  and 
attended  by  Dr.  Carboy. 

The  long-cherished  scheme  of  Little  had  ended  in 
disaster,  and  all  hands  had  been  captured.  The  run 
aways  looked  at  each  other  with  a  sort  of  astonish 
ment  when  they  found  themselves  on  board  again. 
Doubtless  they  were  satisfied  that  they  had  not  bet 
tered  their  condition  by  what  they  had  done.  They 
obeyed  whatever  orders  were  given  them,  for  the  ter 
rible  Peaks  had  verified  all  the  stories  told  of  him. 
He  had  knocked  Perth  insensible,  and  badly  damaged 
Phillips.  It  was  not  safe  to  refuse  to  do  duty,  as  some 
of  them,  in  their  chagrin,  wished  to  do. 

As  soon  as  the  boats  were  hoisted  up,  and  the 
Josephine  headed  on  her  course  again,  all  hands  were 
piped  to  muster.  By  this  time  Perth  was  able  to  ap 
pear,  for  he  had  only  been  stunned  by  the  boatswain's 
fist.  A  savage  lecture  from  the  vice-principal  was 
expected ;  but  instead  of  that,  every  one  of  the  crew 
was  searched.  Perth's  twenty  pounds  was  discovered 
and  confiscated,  as  well  as  numerous  bills  on  Paris, 
letters  of  credit,  and  similar  valuable  papers.  The 
conspirators  had  put  them  in  their  pockets  to  use  on 
shore.  Without  any  further  notice  of  the  affair  of  the 
night,  the  vice-principal  stationed  the  watch,  and  dis 
missed  the  rest  of  the  crew. 

Mr.  Fluxion  probably  acted  on  the  principle  of  the 
celebrated  schoolmaster  who  charged  all  the  faults  of 
his  pupils  upon  himself.  If  Cleats  had  not  left  the 

22 


338  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

deck,  the  conspiracy  could  not  have  been  even  par 
tially  successful,  and  he  charged  all  the  blame  upon 
him.  After  the  affair  he  increased  his  own  vigilance, 
adding  Dr.  Carboy  to  one  watch,  and  the  head  stew 
ard  to  the  other,  so  that  another  attempt  to  escape 
must  certainly  fail. 

"  I  never  believed  much  in  that  plan,"  said  Her 
man,  the  next  day,  as  he  and  Perth  met  on  deck. 

"  I  did.  I  won't  go  back  on  it  now.  If  we  had 
had  half  an  hour  more,  we  should  have  been  safe. 
Phillips  didn't  do  as  he  agreed  with  Bitts,"  answered 
the  leader.  "  He  ought  to  have  put  a  line  a  dozen 
times  around  his  body,  so  that  he  couldn't  move  his 
hands." 

"  He  said  he  was  afraid  of  actually  choking  him  to 
death." 

"  Tying  his  hands  would  not  have  choked  him." 

"Well,  whatever  the  reason  was,  the  plan  failed. 
We  are  played  out  for  this  cruise." 

"Yes,  and  haven't  seen  Paris,  Switzerland,  Ger 
many,  or  the  Rhine,"  growled  Perth. 

"  I  suppose  it  is  our  own  fault." 

"  Humph  !  "  snuffed  the  conquered  leader. 

"  I  am  satisfied,  now,  that  if  we  had  done  our  duty, 
We  should  have  had  a  better  time." 

"  Repent,  then,"  said  Perth,  as  he  turned  on  his  heel. 

Possibly  there  was  no  other  runaway  in  the  crew 
who  confessed  as  much  as  this,  but  if  is  doubtful 
whether  there  was  one  who  did  not  realize  the  truth 
of  the  statement.  All  of  them  were  satisfied  that  it 
was  useless  to  contend  against  the  discipline  of  the 
Academy  while  it  was  administered  by  such  men  as 
the  principal  and  the  vice-principal. 


YOUNG  AMERICA   IN   GERMANY.  339 

The  Josephine  had  a  fair  passage,  and  reached  Lis 
bon  on  the  day  after  the  Young  America  had  anchored 
in  the  river.  She  was  loudly  cheered  when  she  luffed 
up  under  the  quarter  of  the  ship,  but  not  a  sound  came 
from  the  disappointed  and  disheartened  runaways  in 
response,  and  more  fully  than  the  sufferers  themselves 
did  the  members  of  the  Order  of  the  Faithful  believe 
that  the  way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard. 

Mr.  Fluxion  immediately  went  on  board  of  the  ship, 
and  reported  to  the  principal.  For  an  hour  they  dis 
cussed  the  events  of  the  cruise  of  the  Josephine  up  the 
Mediterranean  ;  but  both  were  satisfied  that  the  disci 
pline  of  the  squadron  had  been  triumphant.  Mr. 
Lowington  was  more  indulgent  towards  Cleats  than 
the  vice-principal  was  disposed  to  be,  and  he  was  put 
on  probation. 

Before  night  the  original  order  on  board  both  ves 
sels  was  restored,  and  again  the  runaways  mingled  with 
the  faithful  ones.  Each  party  had  a  story  to  tell,  and 
the  glories  of  the  beautiful  Rhine  lost  nothing  in  the 
description  given  by  the  tourists.  The  "narrative  of 
the  adventures  of  the  excursionists  was  galling  to  the 
others,  for  the  latter  had  nothing  but  sea  life  to  speak 
of,  unless  it  was  the  harbor  of  Genoa.  It  was  painful 
to  be  obliged  to  say  that  they  had  been  up  the  Medi 
terranean  without  putting  a  foot  on  shore  during  their 
absence.  Certainly  those  who  had  done  their  duty 
could  appreciate  the  pleasures  of  their  trip,  after  con 
trasting  it  with  that  of  the  runaways  ;  and  perhaps 
they  needed  this  contrast  to  enable  them  fully  to  real 
ize  the  satisfaction  which  follows  right  doing. 

Fresh  provisions  and  water  were  taken  in  by  both 


in 

" 


34°  DOWN   THE   RHINE,    OR 

vessels.  Only  a  few  of  the  students  went  on  shore, 
and  those  on  duty  ;  and  at  noon  on  the  day  after  the 
arrival  of  the  Josephine,  the  squadron  got  under  way, 
homeward  bound.  The  usual  routine  on  board  was 
restored,  and  the  studies  of  the  school-room  were 
mingled  with  the  duties  of  the  ship.  Only  one  gale 
disturbed  the  serenity  of  the  passage,  and  both  vessels 
came  to  anchor  in  Brockway  harbor,  after  a  voyage 
of  thirty  days.  The  runaways  had  behaved  tolerably 
well  during  the  trip,  for  they  had  learned  that  there 
was  no  safety  or  satisfaction  in  rebellion  and  disobedi 
ence.  They  were  not  reformed,  and  perhaps  never 
will  be ;  but  they  were  controlled,  and  saved  from  a 
vicious  life  on  shore  during  the  period  of  the  cruise. 

Others  had  been  reformed,  and  converted  from  evil- 
disposed  boys  into  well-meaning  ones.  Shuffles  and 
Pelham  were  not  the  only  ones  who  had  been  turned 
aside  from  the  error  of  their  ways,  though  their  indi 
vidual  experience  has  not  been  detailed.  The  moral 
results  of  the  voyage  were  very  good.  If  the  disci 
pline  of  the  ship  and  her  consort  had  not  reformed  all 
the  vicious  characters,  it  had  restrained  their  evil  ten 
dencies,  and  kept  them  away  from  the  haunts  of  vice, 
though  its  most  pernicious  haunt  is  within  the  soul  of 

e  evil-doer. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  intellectual  results  of  the 
cruise  were  abundantly  satisfactory.  The  students 
had  made  excellent  progress  in  their  studies,  and  not 
a  few  of  them  were  already  competent  navigators. 
There  had  been  hardly  a  case  of  sickness  on  board, 
and  the  boys  were  all  in  rugged  health.  Mr.  Low- 
ington,  therefore,  had  every  reason  to  be  satisfied  with 


YOUNG   AMERICA    IN   GERMANY.  341 

the  success  of  his  great  experiment.  He  intended  to 
make  some  changes  in  the  vessels,  and  return  to  Eu 
rope  the  following  spring,  after  spending  the  winter  in 
various  ports  of  the  United  States. 

The  Academy  had  a  vacation  during  the  Christmas 
holidays,  and  all  the  students  went  home.  Perth  and 
some  others  declared  they  should  not  return,  but  their 
parents  thought  otherwise,  and  with  hardly  an  excep 
tion,  they  did  return,  and  the  institution  continued  to 
prosper. 

Shuffles,  it  need  not  be  said,  kept  his  promise  to 
Lady  Feodora,  and  hardly  a  week  passed  in  which  a 
letter  did  not  cross  the  ocean  from  him  to  her,  and 
from  her  to  him.  One  of  the  latter  informed  him  that 
Lady  Feodora  had  not  seen  Sir  William  for  a  month  ; 
for,  with  her  father's  consent,  she  had  dismissed  him. 
Paul  Kendall  spent  much  of  his  spare  time  in  writing 
letters  which  went  to  Belfast.  No  doubt  Lady  Feo 
dora  will,  in  due  time,  become  Mrs.  Shuffles,  and 
Grace  Arbuckle  Mrs.  Kendall.  It  may  even  be  said 
that  promises  to  this  effect  have  already  passed  be 
tween  the  respective  parties.  Our  readers  will  wish 
them  joy,  and  we  heartily  join  in  the  hope  that  life 
will  be  as  happy  to  them  as  duty  faithfully  done  can 
make  it. 

For  the  present  we  take  our  leave  of  the  Academy 
Squadron,  though  we  hope  in  the  future  to  be  the 
chronicler  of  more  of  the  travel  and  adventure  in 
foreign  lands  of  YOUNG  AMERICA  ABROAD. 


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tures  of  an  Army  Officer.     IGmo.     Illustrated.     $1.50. 
"  The  Young  Lieutenant"  is  a  sequel  to  "  The  Soldier  Boy,"  and  carries 
the  reader  through  the  stormy  scenes   of  tho  rebellion,  creates  Thomas 
Bomers  an  officer,  and  as  such  he  performs  much  difficult  work  in  the  rebel 
lion. 

YANKEE   MIDDY  ;  or,  Adventures  of  a  Naval  Officer. 

IGmo.     Illustrated.     $1.50. 

"  The  incidents  of  the  story  are  those  which  have  occurred  on  the  ocean, 
and  on  the  bays,  inlets,  and  rivers  of  the  South,  common  in  the  experience 
of  all  our  naval  officers  who  have  been  actively  employed  during  the  war." 

—  Notices  of  the  Press. 

FIGHTING  JOE  ;   or,  The  Fortunes  of  a  Staff  Officer. 
IGmo.    Illustrated.    $1.50. 

11  The  description  of  battles  and  Beiges,  of  picket  and  skirmishing,  of  camp 
life  and  marching,  are  wrought  out  with  thrilling  detail,  making  the  story 
truly  fascinating;  while,  in  connection  with  this,  useful  and  practical  infor 
mation  respecting  men  and  places  is  conveyed,  and  a  proper  spirit  of  moral 
ity  and  patriotism  inculcated." — Notices  of  the  Press. 

BRAVE   OLD   SALT;  or,  Life  on  the  Quarter-Deck. 
IGmo.     Illustrated.    $1.50. 

A  book  of  adventure,  of  personal  experience,  describing  a  living  hero,  and 
exhibiting  the  great  truth  that,  by  fidelity  of  conscience,  country,  and  God, 
earthly  and  heavenly  blessings  are  secured. 

Bold  by  all  booksellers  and  newsdealers,  and  sent  by  mail,  post-paid,  on 
receipt  of  price.  

LEE  &  SHEPARD,  Publishers,  Boston. 


LEE  &  SHEPARD'S  JUVENILE  PUBLICATIONS. 


OLIVER    OPTIC'S    BOOKS. 


STARRY  FLAG  SERIES, 

Each  volume  handsomely  illustrated.    In  sets  or  separate. 


THE    STARRY    FLAG ;  or,  the  Young  Fisherman  of 

Cape  Ann.     $1.25. 

"  The  early  history  of  Levi  Fairfield,  the  boy  hero  of  this  volume,  as  it  is 
graphically  traced  by  Oliver  Optic,  will  be  apt  to  hold  boy-readers  spell 
bound.  His  manly  virtue,  his  determined  character,  his  superiority  to  moan 
vice,  his  industry,  and  his  stirring  adventures,  will  suggest  good  lessons 
for  imitation." — Presbyterian. 

BREAKING    AWAY;   or,  the  Fortunes  of  a  Student. 

$1.25. 

"  In  this  volume  Oliver  Optic  opens  the  school-room  door,  and  shows  the 
nature,  construction,  and  workings  of  the  school  system;  its  lights  and 
ehadows ;  its  discipline,  and  the  serious  consequences  that  come  from  want 
of  discipline."— Patriot. 

SEEK    AND     FIND  ;  or,  the  Adventures  of  a  Smart 
Boy.    $1.25. 

Earnest  Thornton,  the  "  smart  boy  "  of  this  story,  is  a  clear  headed,  well 
Intentioned,  plucky  boy,  that  has  a  nigh  aim  and  means  right  even  where  he 
is  wrong,  and  his  adventures  will  be  read  with  interest. 

FREAKS    OF    FORTUNE  ;     or,   Half   around  the 
World,  —  a  sequel  to  "  The  Starry  Flag."    $1.25. 
"  The  adventures  of  Levi  Fairfield,  the  noble  young  Captain  of  the  Starry 
Flag,  excited  such  an  interest  among  the  young  folks  that  the  continuance  of 
his  story  was  called  for,   with  which  demand  the  ever  ready  author  has 
complied,  with  a  story  equally  attractive  and  interesting." 

MAKE     OR    BREAK  ;    or,  the  Rich  Man's  Daughter. 

$1.25. 

"  This  is  a  lively,  stirring  volume,  full  of  interest  and  instruction  from  one 
cover  to  the  other.  Just  the  book  a  smart,  wide-awake  boy  will  enjoy  in 
tensely." — Press. 

DOWN    THE     RIVER  ;    or,  Buck  Bradford  and  his 
Tyrants.     $1.25. 

"  These  stories  are  not  only  written  in  a  manner  well  calculated  to  enchain 
the  attention  of  young  readers,  but  teach  at  the  same  time  such  important 
lessons  of  sobriety,  industry  and  cheerfulness,  that  we  should  like  to  see 
them  in  the  hands  of  every  boy  in  the  land." — Galesburg  Free  Press. 

Sold  by  all  booksellers  and  newsdealers,  and  sent  by  mail,  post-paid,  on 
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VACATION  STORY  BOOKS. 

6  volumes.     Each  volume  handsomely  illustrated.     80  cents. 

WORTH    NOT    WEALTH. 
COUNTRY    LIFE. 
THE    CHARM. 

KARL    KEIOLER. 

WALTER    SEYTON. 

HOLIDAYS    AT    CHESTNUT    HILL. 


HOST  DIAMOND  STORY  BOOKS. 

6  volumes.     Each  volume  handsomely  illustrated.    80  cents. 

THE    GREAT    ROSY     DIAMOND. 

DAISY  ;    or,    The    Fairy    Spectacles. 
VIOLET:    A    Fairy    Story. 

MINNIE:    or,    The    Little    Woman. 
THE    ANGEL    CHILDREN. 

LITTLE     BLOSSOM'S     REWARD. 

These  volumes  are  finely  and  profusely  illustrated  from  designs  by  Iloppin 
and  other  eminent  artists.  They  are  elegantly  bound,  and  neatly  packed  in 
ornamental  boxes.  As  gifts  for  holidays  and  birthdays,  where  a  uniform 
Value  and  appearance  is  desired,  they  are  excellent. 


Mrs.   Madeline   Leslie's    JSooJcs. 

PLAY  AND  STUDY  SERIES. 

4  volumes.    Each  volume  illustrated.    Price,  $1.50. 

PLAY   AND  STUDY. 

THE   MOTHERLESS   CHILDREN. 

HOWARD   AND    HIS   TEACHER. 

JACK,   THE   CHIMNEY-SWEEP. 


LITTLE  AGNES'  LIBRARY. 

4  volumes.     Each  volume  illustrated.     Price,  $1.50. 
LITTLE  AGNES. 

TRYING    TO     BE    USEFUL. 
I  'LL    TRY. 

ART    AND     ARTLESSNESS. 

For  family  reading  and  Sabbath  School  libraries  there  are  no  better  books 
•written  than  these  by  Mrs.  Leslie.    With  attractive  and  Interesting  Rtoriei 
arc  r.iiucrled  wholesome  truths  and  moral  lessons.     Of  .-ill  these  books  largo 
j   editions  havo  been  printed,  and  they  may  be  found  largely  circulated  in  Sab 
bath  Schools. 

Sold  by  all  booksellers  and  newsdealers,  and  sent  by  mail,  post-paid,  on 
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LEE  &  SHEPARO'S  JUVENILE  PUBLICATIONS, 

SOPHIE    MAY'S    BOOKS. 


LITTLE  PRUDY  STORIES, 

Six  volumes.    Illustrated.    In  Sets  or  separate.    Per 

volume,  75  cents. 
LITTLE    PRUDY. 

LITTLE    PRUDY' S    Sister    Susy. 

LITTLE    PRUDY' S    Captain    Horace. 

LITTLE    PRUDY'S    Cousin    Oraee. 

LITTLE    PRUDY'S     Story     Book. 

LITTLE    PRUDY'S    Dotty    Dimple. 


DOTTY  DIMPLE  STORIES, 

By  the  author  of  "  Little  Prudy  Stories." 

Six  volumes.    Illustrated.    In  Sets  or  separate.    Per 
volume,  75  cents. 

DOTTY    DIMPLE    at    her    Grandmother's. 
DOTTY     DIMPLE    at    Home. 

DOTTY    DIMPLE    out    West. 

DOTTY     DIMPLE    at    Play. 

DOTTY    DIMPLE    at    School. 

DOTTY    DIMPLE'S     Flyaway. 

Head  the  high  commendation  of  the  North  American  Review,  which 
places  Sophie  May's  Books  at  the 

Head    of  Juvenile    Literature. 

"  Genius  comes  in  -with  '  Little  Prudy.7  Compared  with  her,  all  other 
"book-children  are  coid  creations  of  Literature  only;  "she  alone  is  the  real 
thing.  All  the  quaintness  of  childhood,  its  originality,  its  tenderness  and  its 
teasing,  —  its  infinite,  unconscious  drollery,  the  serious  earnestness  of  its 
fun,  the  fun  of  its  seriousness,  the  natural  religion  of  its  plays,  and  the  delic 
ious  oddity  of  its  prayers,  —  all  these  waited  for  dear  Little  Prudy  to  embody 
them.  Sam  Weller  is  not  more  piquant ;  Hans  Anderson's  nutcrackers  and. 
knitting-needles  are  not  more  thoroughly  charged  with  life.  There  are  six 
little  green  volumes  in  the  series,  and  of  course  other  dramatis  personce 
must  figure ;  hut  one  eagerly  Avatches  for  every  reappearance  of  Prudy,  aa 
one  watches  at  the  play  for  Owens  or  Warren  to  re-enter  upon  the  stage. 
Who  is  our  benetactress  in  the  authorship  of  these  books,  the  world  knows 
rot.  Sophie  May  must  doubtless  be  a  fancy  name,  by  reason  of  the  spelling, 
and  we  have  only  to  be  grentful  that  the  author  did  not  inflict  on  us  the 
customary  alliteration  in  her  pseudonyme.  The  rare  gift  of  delineating 
childhood  is  hers,  and  may  the  line  of  '  Little  Prudy '  go  out  to  the  end  of  the 
earth To  those  oversatu rated  with  transatlantic  traditions  we  recom 
mend  a  course  of '  Little  Prudy," 

Sold  by  all  booksellers  and  newsdealers,  and  sent  by  mail,  post-paid,  on 
receipt  of  price. 

LEE  &  SHEPARD,  Publishers,  Boston. 


The  only  Original  Illustrated  Juvenile  Magazine  published  Once  a  Week. 


OLIVER  OPTIC'S  MAGAZINE, 

OUR  BOYS  AND  GIRLS, 

EVEBY  WEEK.    EDITED  BY  OLIVES  OPTIO, 

Who  writes  for  no  other  Juvenile  Publication,  and  who  contributes 

Four  Serial  Stories  Every  Year, 

The  cost  of  which,  in  book  form,  would  be  $5.00,  —  double  the  subscription 
price  of  the  Magazine.  Every  number  contains  part  of  a  new  Story  by 
Oliver  Optic,  illustrated  by  designs  from  the  beat  artists,  headed  by  Thoma* 
Nast,  the  great  American  Artist.  Then  follow 

Poems  and  Stories 

By  other  well-known  authors,  who  know  how  to  write  for  Young  Folks. 
The  Orator, 

A  department  exclusively  hi  charge  of  Oliver  Optic,  gives  every  other  week 
a  selection  for  Declamation,  marked  for  delivery  according  to  the  most  ap 
proved  rules  of  elocution;  26  MARKED  DECLAMATIONS  EACH  TEAK. 

Original  Dialogues. 

Some  of  the  best  writers  find  a  place  under  this  head  every  other  week, 
giving  the  subscriber  26  ORIGINAL  DIALOGUES  EVERT  YEAB. 

Head  Work, 

Containing  Geographical  Rebuses,  Puzzles,  Syncopations,  Geographical 
Questions,  Proverbial  Anagrams,  Enigmas,  Charades,  and  Numerical  Pnx- 
zles,  coatributed  by  the  subscribers,  and  rendered  unusually  attractive  by 
original  features  NOT  TO  BE  FOUND  IN  ANY  OTHER  MAGAZINE. 

In  addition  to  the  above-mentioned  departments,  there  are  regular  con- 
tributiocs  on  Natural  History,  History,  the  Sciences,  Facts  and  Figures, 
from,  some  of  the  most  learned  men  in  the  country. 

OLIVER  OPTIC'S  MAGAZINE  contains  more  reading  matter  thau 
any  other  juvenile  publication,  and  is  the  CHEAPEST  and  the  BEST 
Periodical  of  the  kind  in  the  United  States. 

Any  boy  or  girl  who  will  write  to  the  publishers  shall  rective  a  specimen 
copy  by  mail,  free. 

TERMS,  IN  ADVANCE.  —Single  Subscriptions,  One  Year,  $2.50; 
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LEE  A  SHEPARD,  Publishers,  Boston. 


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